Awards

I hope everyone had a wonderful christmas & is enjoying the post christmas relief that I'm feeling right now.

My family where all very happy with their gifts, so I did well this year...YAY!!

We also had a fantastic christmas day with  family & friends, we ate great food, played crazy games & just had an all round relaxed day, with lots of laughs to go with it!!

How was your chrissy this year?

Now I have also been rather privileged of late & proudly accepted a couple of blog awards from two of my favourite bloggers.

The first is The versatile bloggers award & it requires me to share 7 things about Christmas with you!!

I know, I know, I am a little late...

  The very talented cake decorating Katena from
Taylor Made Baking

has honoured me with this award so pop by & say Hi to her if you haven't already. Be prepared to drool on your keyboard when you see some of her home baked goodies.

 I thought I would share a few of my crazy Christmas secrets

1. I am obsessed with how my Christmas tree looks, it MUST be colour co ordinated with my gift wrapping. I let the kids help decorate & then once they are over it, I move everything until I feel like its perfect..... he he he!!

Everyone thought the tree in the last post was mine, but alas here is the real dream house tree, LOL!!

2. My son asked why I always get to choose the colour scheme for the tree & expressed his desire to take on this role next year. I happily agreed to this & silently prayed that I could have 2 tree's next year...his tree & MY tree. Obsessed....never!!!

3. I get so excited by the thought of my kids opening their presents on Christmas morning that I can't sleep. I am usually so tired on Chrissy day that I feel sick & never enjoy the food!!!

This year was a little different though as my kids slept in until 8:30am, are we the luckiest parents on the planet or what!

4.My husband & I rarely exchange gifts, we leave it all for the kids.

5. This year I almost managed  to resist the temptation to go back to the shops & add little extras to my gifts.I was so proud of myself until we discovered on christmas eve that Harvey Norman where offering a huge discount on the Xbox 360 game consoles, we have one that no longer works  so we decided to replace it & use it as an extra christmas gift. Needless to say we have the happiest son on the planet, but I did feel we went a little overboard.

  

6.I love that we get to enjoy the company of our family & friends, I can't imagine how lonely it would feel to not be lucky enough to enjoy this privilege.

7. I love boxing day, I get to sleep in, eat leftovers & the kids never complain of boredom, definately a relaxing day!!!

The next part of the award is for me to pass it on to four more bloggers!

I have left it a little late to pass this one on, so I hope you all had a merry Christmas.

   I think everyone should take this award!!!

xxx

I hope you have enjoyed my pics of my chrissy decos! 

Now I have been a little slow off the mark to post about this award & I didn't realize that my followers have snuck over the 200 mark. I was so proud to see I have over 200 friends YAY!!!!



The beautiful Mimi from

At home with Sam & I

 has passed this along to me & here is what she had to say about the Liebster award.

Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" and the award is given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.  The award has a few stipulations:

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

So first & foremost a huge thank you to the beautiful Mimi for honoring me with this lovely award

xxx
Now to pass it on to just 5 bloggers is proving to be very difficult as I love literally hundreds, in fact I dont post as often as I should because I am to busy blog stalking to take the time out to write, he he he!!!!

Any way the award must go on so here are five lovely blogs that I think everyone should stalk...
Style at Home

B is building a house

Melli's Designs

Two beaches and a lake

Ledamae Design

Be sure to pop on by & say Hi to these lovely bloggers if you haven't already.

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Merry Christmas

I thought a tree full of clocks was appropriate this year, seen as though I have to count down the sleeps until Santa's arrives, with my 4yr old!

Have a fabulous Christmas everyone & thank you all so much for a very inspirational year. I cant wait to see what everyone gets up to in 2012!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Slow down Santa...Slow down

Does anyone else fell a little overwhelmed by how quickly Christmas is speeding towards us.

I am actually almost done with my gift shopping, my tree is all decorated & looking fabulous.

 I have all of my gift wrap & ribbons ready to go!

The christmas day celebrations will be at my brothers house, so minimum thought or effort is required by me for the day.

Are you hosting the festivities this year or do you get to put your feet up & enjoy someone elses hospitality?

Why do I feel like this little Santa in the above pic???

I feel life needs to slow down, just a tad!

The past month has brought about so much change in our lives, all positive but hectic all the same.

Seeing my older 2 children instantly transform into adults has thrown me a curveball I was expecting them to do this, one at a time, with 2 years between them.They both have full time jobs, dreamchild no1 has moved  out & is living 4 hours away at her fathers house. She is really happy &  earning great money& with  only  7 more days to wait to get the results from her higher school certificate exams, fingers crossed she gets the mark she needs to get into University.

These are pics from her Year 12 formal (Prom)

Time to cut the apron strings Trishy & accept these babies are grown ups!!!!

How about you, do you think 2011 could do with an extra few weeks or will you be glad to see the back of it & start fresh for 2012???

CHEERS

Trish xxx

P.S I will post some pics of my tree soon, I have been enjoying seeing all of your amazing Xmas decor!



Table scaping

I  had to share this beautiful dining room table scape with you.


 dining room design by Chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

There are so many different elements at play here, I guess you would say its an eclectic take on a traditional style

 design by Chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

I love glass & silver teamed with timber.

Chandeliers always make me swoon!!!!

A simple floral arrangement is something I would like to master.

 The colour scheme is very warm & inviting.

A rather relaxed take on what I imagine to be the formal dining space.

What do you think, love it or hate it????

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Spaces to love

I have had these images saved to my drafts for a while now & thought I should share them with you.

Prepare yourself for some divine eye candy!!!!

living room design by Toronto interior designer Jennifer Brouwer

I am seriously loving this look. I am hoping we can afford to put timber floors in the dream house & then I will work towards talking the dream guy into painting the internal doors black, I don't like my chances though, its a little to out of the ordinary for him I think!!!

closet design by Toronto interior designer Jennifer Brouwer

Is this the most incredible wardrobe you have ever seen? I love the mirror doors...

contemporary kitchen design by San Francisco architect Mahoney Architects & Interiors

A beautiful room with a tranquil view...

traditional family room design by Detroit home staging The Yellow Cape Cod

There are those black doors again, not to mention that stunning wing chair, don't you just love it?

traditional staircase design by Seattle general contractor Logan's Hammer Building & Renovation

and here we have a great little study nook atop a very lovely stair case...

& do I spy another black door?

traditional entry design by San Francisco architect Gast Architects

traditional exterior design by San Francisco architect Gast Architects

Whats not to love?

I especially fancy those stone walls...

traditional living room design by San Francisco architect Gast Architects

The same stone repeated on the fireplace...I am all for continuity,

inside & out

contemporary kitchen design by Minneapolis architect Charlie Simmons - Charlie & Co. Design

As you may know I am a little obsessed with white kitchens so it would be NO surprise to see one in this post.

Isn't she pretty!!!

contemporary kitchen design by Minneapolis architect Charlie Simmons - Charlie & Co. Design

Fabulous!!!!!

traditional bathroom design by San Francisco general contractor Dijeau Poage Construction

I'm just going to put my feet up here on this little window seat & dream for a while, the kids will never think to look for me here..

He He He !!!

Which one was you favourite?

Now I know the beautiful wardrobe/closet is naturally every ones first choice, especially if it came full of designer clothes, bags & shoes,

Sooo

I will let you have a second choice....

Oh & what do you think of the black doors, have you, or would you, be daring enough to paint your doors black?

Have a tremendous week everyone!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A blue christmas

I have finally settled on a theme for this years Christmas tree

I'm calling it

 "Glitter & Ice"

as its going to be blue silver & white!!!

Here is what has me inspired this year!

source Decorating Ideas

source She Knows

Love the co ordinated wrapping, I will be seeking out some fabulous paper & ribbon.

 Do you like to wrap your gifts to match your tree or do you just get an array of christmas gift wraps & go for it?

source House of Turquoise

Im wishing for a fireplace so I could decortae a mantel!!!

I am thinking I might sew a tree skirt to dress things up a little, this one looks kind a pretty don't you think?

I am seriously in love with this one, I think I could adapt it to my colour scheme. I would need to whip up some of those cute cushions & perhaps a fur stocking.... or 4...one for each offspring :)

Notice how I say "whip up" like I am some sort of cushion sewing pro, ha ha ha, Im sure it will be a long winded task with all of the interruptions one faces with children & a husband, but do able all the same!!!

Above images all from Pinterest

Now i am not hosting Christmas lunch this year, we are heading to my brothers house, but if I was I think I would want my table to look like this one.

Ooh, I have a sudden urge to have an Xmas dinner party......

Happy decorating everyone!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A working Class Girl

Hey Ya'll

Long time no post!!

I have been a little slack in the blogging arena over the past week or so, very little computer time at all really.

There are so many things going on in my life at the moment & its all rather positive stuff.

First up

I have literally fallen back into the work force. After almost 3 years as a stay at home domestic goddess/family slave, LOL, I have stumbled into the most perfect hairdressing job on the planet. In case you didn't know I have been a hairdresser for the past 24 years with a few brief breaks in between babies.

I am working one day a week at the moment & only doing school hours which means I don't need any after school care or long day care for my kids. In the new year once my little one goes to "big school" I will take on an extra couple of days, but still only school hours. I can't believe my luck.

 This story gets better though, the shopping centre that the salon is in, is located right next door to the school I will be sending my 2 little kids to next year...total convenience!!!!

Secondly

Dream child no2 has been successful in securing herself a hairdressing apprenticeship. She finishes her final exam on Friday for her school certificate & starts her hairdressing career on Saturday.

 No time like the present hey!!

 Once again there is a fantastic convenience factor to this story, its at the same salon I work at. We obtained the jobs independently of one another, I hadn't even started working there when she was selected for the position.

I have to say I am very very proud of her as she was the youngest applicant for the job & over 100 people applied for the position.

 She will be able to do my hair soon...YAY!!!!

Thirdly

My little one goes to big school next year & had her first kindergarten orientation this week. She went off without even an inkling of hesitation & was so happy when I picked her.I am wrapped to know she is going to settle in so easily.

I am transferring my son to the same school next year to start Yr 4 & he also had an orientation day this week.He had such a fantastic time & has already planned to join the drum classes, gymnastics squad & the gardening group. He made new friends in the first hour & we came home with phone numbers to organise play dates.

Its great to see your kids with big smiles even though you are changing their world in such a major way.I have to say, this new school really is lovely, with so many extra curricular activities to choose from, how could they not be happy.

Lastly

I'm in the middle of baking a mud cake for my fabulous dads birthday, chocolate mud cake, wheat & dairy free of course, but delicious beyond belief.

 Now as a good daughter I could never reveal his age, but like every girl I have to say he is definitely the "bestest" dad a girl could ever have. We do like to keep him on a pedestal and in my 40 years of life he has never fallen off it...not even once.

Happy birthday Dad xxx

  

Now enough raving about my currently happy world, what have you all been up to lately?

Has anyone started preparing for Xmas yet, its definitely creeping up fast!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

News Update

So much to tell & its all good!!!



The local council have approved our development application to build our house

YAHOOOO!!!

Now we just need to sell a house to raise some cash...I am sending many positive sale thoughts into the universe, hopefully some good news on that front soon!

My little guy turned 9 last week. We had a great pool party as well as a few games of Laser Tag.

I completely forgot to take photos of the yummy treats & this was all that was left of the cake. This is a wheat free, dairy free butter cake with vienna cream frosting. It was a huge hit. I also made jelly cups with 4 different coloured layers & they looked fantastic. I wish I had taken a few pics, oh well!!!

 

We got into the spirit of Halloween, only after my kids guilted me into it.

These 3 terrors had a blast, my sons friend just had everyone in hysterics. Nobody expects to see a 9yr old boy in pink fairy wings & a tutu. He is a real hoot, this kid, our whole family just loves him to death, tutu & all!!!

I recently did a post about dream child No1 graduating from high school & her plans for the future. You can read about it here if you missed it & I am leaving you confused.

 

She went for a portfolio interview at Billie Blue Design College & has been accepted to study a Bachelor of design in branded fashion. She is still in the running for their scholarship, she now needs to submit a second lot of her work & wait for the final result.

Fingers & toes crossed she wins the scholarship!!!

She is really excited for this opportunity & has decided this will definitely be the path she follows.

 

I have still have more news but I think I will save that for another post, I don't want to bombard you with useless tidbits of my life.

 

Do you have those times where life just feels great?

 

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week :))

 

CHEERS

Trish xxx

 

 

For the love of an organised space

Be still my beating heart!!!

This my friends is an office, craft room & laundry all in one & I have to say it is the most incredible space I have seen in a while.

It is the work of American company

Ohara Interiors

You should pop by their website & take a peak, there is so much eye candy.

I think I'm in luuuurrve!!!

Does anyone else have a passion for organisation like this?

Have a lovely, organised, week everyone !!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Feel the serenity

No words required really...

Image via Coastal Living

Can't you just feel the gentle breeze coming off the water, what a fabulous place to relax.

Feel the serenity my friends!!!

CHEERS

Trish xx

Pottery Barn mirror & dream house update

In my last post, as you know, I was dreaming about this fabulous mirror from Pottery Barn & wondering had anybody seen something like this available here in Australia

or

would I have to go to the expense of having it sent out from the US, if I really really wanted it in my dream home.

Well, the wonderful land of blogging truly is a valuable resource & the very helpful & ultra stylish Melinda from

Georgica Pond

Melinda is mid way thru a major renovation of her own home & I really love her style. She has some really great ideas & always gives me lots of inspiration.

 She is also a super sleuth when it comes to researching & finding just the right decorator items to get the finish she is after.

 If you haven't seen her lovely blog you really should pop over & take a peek!!!

Any way Melinda  found a similar mirror at

 Recollections

for a mere $59.

Now I am fortunate enough that Recollections have a Newcastle store which is only a 40 minute drive from my home so I will be able to go check this baby out in person. What a great excuse for a little shopping trip.

I don't know about you but I am always a little fearful of ordering something online....will it look as good in real life as it does in the image.

Image via Rehkamp Larson Architecture

Image via Alamode

These are my ensuite inspiration images, the second one is my all time favourite & is from a movie scene, I just don't recall which movie!

Now  the dream house plans are still slowly progressing thru the council building approval department, we had to give them some more information this week, so at least we know our plans are actually being looked at.

Unfortunately we still haven't managed to sell our old house, we have four interested buyers, the only hic cup being that they have to sell their own homes first & the market seems to be at a stand still in Lithgow...

Oh the frustration!!

Mind you there is lots that we can still do leading up to building the actual house. We still need to build a fence down one side & across the front, we have some more retaining walls to go in & we can also continue on with concreting the drive way. When I say "we" I really mean the dream guy, he he he!!

So fingers crossed for council approval on our development application, a house sale in the Blue Mountains.

In the meantime I think I need to take a little trip to Recollections to investigate some mirrors!!

Have a fantastic week everyone & thank you for all of your lovely comments & wonderful, I really do love & appreciate every one of them.

Do you love seeing new comments on your latest post?

I am a little like a small child getting a letter in the post, I can't wait to see what it says!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx



I just love these oval mirrors from

Pottery Barn

Its called the Sussex Pivot Mirror and is $261 plus shipping of course which is another $96.

 Now I do believe that this is still a reasonable price for what it is, as I have found mirrors can be rather pricey here in Australia,

 BUT....

If anyone has seen something similar in our lovely country I would love to know about it. After all it is better to shop locally & keep Aussies in jobs!

It is nice however to see we are able to get things shipped here from Pottery Barn,things that just aren't available here. I fall in love with so many things that I see on some of my favourite US blogs that come from this store.

How about you, do you lust after American decor?

Do you have any hot Aussie mirror tips for me?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Problem solved

Thank you all of my lovely commenter's who gave me some great advice on my inability to leave comments on any blogs.

I have to wonder why you can cruise along problem free & then all of a sudden things just don't work any more. This drives me a little nuts, but I guess each time I experience these inconvenient little glitches, I learn something new in order to fix it!!!

Image via porch light interiors

So the cure was to enable third party cookies.

I did this by clicking on

 "TOOLS" up on the tool bar.

Scroll down & select

INTERNET OPTIONS

then

PRIVACY

then push the dial down until it says

"Accept All Cookies"

I use Internet explorer & this has worked for me.

I would love to say I'm off to enjoy this fabulous pool, but....... dreaming is free, he he he!!!!

I am off to check out a few blogs & leave a comment tho....YAY!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Disappearing Comments

Hi everyone,

 I hope you are all enjoying the weekend.

The weather isn't being particularly kind here, it is supposed to be spring, but it actually feels a lot like winter, it is raining, cold & miserable

.

I have spent my weekend sewing some new cushions & I will reveal them as soon as they are all complete, it has been fun to do something a little creative!!

Image via Decor Pad

Now I  also been popping by every ones blogs this week, but for some reason when I try to leave a comment, as soon as I post it it disappears.

I tried searching for an answer in the google help section but got no joy.

Has this been happening to anyone else?

Does anyone know how to fix it?

Help me please...somebody....I'm not good at remaining silent, LOL!!!!

Here's hoping for some sunshine for the last week of our school holidays & an aswer to my little problem!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Just dreamy window Seats

I don't know about you but I always fall in love with a room with a built in window seat.

 design by San Francisco architect Feldman Architecture, Inc.

I could definately see myself sitting here to read a story to the kids

image via wicker & stitch

You just have to love all of those wonderful cushions

source unknown

Very inviting & cosy

Image via wicker & stitch

OOOHHH!! I think I need a glass of wine whilst I'm relaxing here....

What do you think, is a window seat something you lust after?

CHEERS

Trish xxx