Summer Songs

Time just continues to fly, who can believe that this time tomorrow we will be tucking into our Christmas Lunch. Sadly as it seems i have left my shopping to the last minute and havent been able to finalise what i am buying my family.

I have however been able to update my summer music playlist, music is such an integral part of my life and i dont know anyone who can lie on the beach for hours without having some tunes to help pass the time.

My top 5 summer songs
1. Flake - Jack Johnson ( to be honest any Jack Johnson gets continually replayed during my summer sessions in the sunshine. The sensual chilled out music is key to a beach summer )

2. In the Summertime - Thirsty Merc ( Aussie summer essential, especially after being the theme song for 'Bondi Rescue' )

3. Someone to be around - Six60 ( this kiwi music must have summer album was constantly on the iPod during my last few summers and my trip to Rarotonga. Absolute perfection. Everyone needs to check it out )

4. Sunsets - Powderfinger ( this song was usually being played while driving to Mona Vale in Sydney and on our road trips to Hawks Nest, Aussie rock music at its best )

5. Island in the sun - Weezer


I love constantly adding and up dating to my playlist. Lets face it we all need a soundtrack to our lives.

Half an hour left at work and I'm on my way to brave the last minute shopping madness at the mall. One of these years I will be organised and get it done early.

Enjoy your Christmas Eve
X

Summer shoes

It has been once again hectic around my part of the world and I have been using every available second making sure that i have my Christmas shopping done as early as possible for once! Every year I find it even harder than the last when it comes to getting presents for my mum and brother so I am using my friends for some much needed help and inspiration.

While i have been on my mission I of course have been browsing the shops for the latest summer trends and have found myself using alot of willpower to make sure I dont blow my budget on myself instead. Which im sure most of you are aware how hard this is!

Some of the summer wedges this year are gorgeous and I must admit I have been wanting to add a pair to my wardrobe for the past few seasons, so maybe this is the year.

Who doesn't love a simple colorful wedge to spice up an outfit. I personally am dying to find a pair to wear with shorts for those late summer nights out with my girlfriends.

Hope Dec is treating you all well.
x

Food glorious food

This has to be one of my all time fave meals and we only found the recipe for this about 6 months ago. It is a lovely and cosy risotto that goes down a treat with a cold glass of Sav. Quicky, delicious and easy. Perfect combination.

Ingredients

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 2 or 3 chorizo sticks, sliced
• 2 brown onions, peeled and diced
• 4 garlic cloves, peel and roughly chopped
• 2 cups short grain rice (arborio works a charm but costs more)
• A splash or two of white wine (optional)
• 6 to 7 cups liquid chicken stock (make it up from the powdered variety)
• 300g Portobello or button mushrooms
• A handful of grated cheese, such as edam or parmesan (optional)

In a wide saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the chorizo, and cook for a minute, stirring. Remove chorizo from pan and set aside. Keep the oil in the pan as it will be imbued with the rich smokiness from the chorizo. If using bacon, follow the same process.

Add the onions to the pan, cook for two minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Add the rice, and cook for three minutes, or until the grains are clear. Don’t let the rice brown. Stir continuously so that it doesn’t stick.

If using wine, add it to the pan now. It will sizzle. It will smell good. Keep stirring.
Add 1 cup of the stock, stirring the rice occasionally. When the liquid has been absorbed into the rice, continue to add the stock in 1/2 cup batches. Repeat until all the stock is used - around 25 minutes. Throw in the mushrooms and the chorizo in the final ten minutes.

If using cheese, stir through just before serving.

I know that its a bit early to make New Years resolutions but I really want to start 2013 off with some new culinary delights.

Enjoy! 

Wellington Sevens Costumes

For the first time next year I have managed to get my hands on tickets for the Wellington Rugby Sevens in Feb. Being an avid sports fan I have always been a huge fan of sevens and over the past few years tickets for the event have sold out in as fast as 10 minutes. It is one of the hottest tickets in town.

Over the years it has gained a reputation for being one of the best sporting parties in the calendar year with the entire crowd dressing up in costumes and enjoying the fantastic spectacle of our great game.

I have been travelling various websites and Pinterest for costume inspiration and their are simply too many choices.

The other dilemma faced when deciding is the group of friends I am attending with. We have 5 boys and 5 girls so the tough decision is wether to do a group theme or girls and boys costumes. You may think it is silly fussing and spending so much time deciding in costumes but think of it as our version of Halloween. Months and months of planning and creating goes into the costumes and everyone wants to look their best.

Some of these pictures are my favourites over the years and I do love some of the creativity. My 2 faves would be the highlighters are the railway signs. Now the picture doesn't do this costume justice as they made the costume from scratch, complete with flashing lights and the railway crossing noises. Seriously great creativity and originality. Don't think anyone has come close to bettering this costume and its definitely tough to beat.

Basically the off field costumes are just as important as the on field action.

Lets hope we can decide on an idea and get to making :)

Hope your all enjoying your weekend
X

Wedding attire inspiration

January next year i cannot wait as two of my good friends get married just after New Years. Tom and Em have been friends of my boyfriend Thomas's for a few years and i have loved getting to know them myself. We even live on the same street as them and it makes things so much easier when it comes to having regular catch ups.

Earlier this year Thomas had been asked to be one of Tom's groomsmen and after getting a preview of his outfit (my man looks damm sexy in a suit) i felt that i needed to step my game up so i have been on the hunt for a dress to wear to the wedding ever since. 

Being my first wedding i have zero idea about what to expect and what is expected in terms of an outfit. I did learn that obviously white and black are a no go and it doesnt look right when you turn up in the same colour as the bridesmaids which is yellow. This doesnt leave many colour options for me.

However i have still been trying to find inspiration and the search continues.

The above dress is from Forever New and i adore the colour (see previous post) however im not sure of the neckline and wether its a bit too much for a wedding.

Heres hoping i can find something soon, i cannot tell you how excited i am :) It will be an amazing weekend.

Hope you are all enjoying the end of your week, one more down towards Christmas.

Life through Instagram

Here are some of my favorite memories from the past couple of weeks. I have always loved looking back on past moments and photos really do capture some wonderful memories.

I spent last weekend down in Dunedin with my family celebrating my grandma's 90th birthday which is such a fantastic achievement. This of course meant a chance to capture some wonderful memories for the years to come and i loved being able to share the weekend with my close family.

So here is a run down of the above images.

1. Bit late compared to other countries but we finally got the Coke bottles with names on them and it took me forever to find my name on one, even if it is spelt wrong.

2. Wearing my fave winter boots during the rainy days that have lingered around during November.

3. Booking airfares for Wellington next year to attend the Sevens (this i will explain in my next entry)

4. Typical sunday nibbles at mums while watching the netball.

5. Watching Canterbury v Auckland in the ITM cup final and seing our boys win it for the 5th time in a row.

6. Spending my days off lying in the sun after having a run around Hagley Park.

7. Celebrating Thomas's last exam of the year at the Fox and Ferret in the sunshine.

8. Making a new fluffy friend in Dunedin.

9. Having a much needed wine after a long and busy day.

10. Needing an extra pick up in the morning, Red Bull really does give me wings.

11. Enjoying the wonderful sights of Mosgiel, including the world famous sign.

12. Reminiscing over old Cup Day photo's while everyone enjoys the races while im sadly stuck at work.

Hopefully you all enjoy the start of your week, i personally cannot wait to have the day off on Friday and recharge the batteries. Feel like this week has been going on forever.

x

Sporty Sunday

3 weeks ago my boyfriend mentioned to me that he had found a women's triathlon for me to compete in. I have been harping on all year about being healthy and being fit and he saw this as the perfect opportunity to have a goal to work towards.

My boyfriend has been doing triathlons since he was a junior and was supposed to compete in the world triathlon champs in Auckland last month but due to a car accident had to pull out.  I have always had massive admiration for anyone that completes such a tough and gruelling event and I guess now is my turn.

I must admit I have been feeling pretty nervous this week and its hit me today about what I'm doing. I have always been a very competitive person and this is no different. I am trying to concentrate on going out their and having fun to try and calm my nerves.

It is the first race in a series and I'm hoping to obviously better each race and improve my performance.

Wish me luck!

Summer cocktails

With the warmer weather upon us i have been researching some new cocktails to add to my recipe books to start of the summer with a bang. There is nothing better than a refreshing cocktail with friends enjoying the sunshine. If you hadnt already figured it out i am a bit of a summer lover.

1. Paloma Cocktail

2. Watermelon Mojito

3. Raspberry Lemon Drop

4. Coconut Mango Mojitos

What is your fave summer cocktail? 

Bring on the long summer nights.

x

Maxi Dress Love

With the new summer season not to far away I thought i would share with you a few of my latest maxi dress obsessions. I seriously love wearing a maxi after spending endless hours at the beach. Its also the perfect outfit for a lazy afternoon bbq. I cant wait to find more to add to my collection.

Its getting me through this miserable and rainy afternoon.

x

Feeling blue?

A big part of my wardrobe is my cobalt blue pieces. Over the last couple of years I have really added a lot of this wonderful colour. I have a blue shirt, and several pairs of blue shoes both heels and flats. I havent quite found the right blue jeans to add to my collection.

Some days it can be the most basic item that can brighten up an outfit and create a wonderful pop.

I cannot get enough of this wonderful colour and the vibrancy it brings. With the beginning of summer coming quickly around I cant wait to bring more of my bright colours out of the wardrobe.

Enjoy your day

x

Life through Instagram

Things have been so incredibly hectic around here i have barely had time to find wonderful things to photograph and show through instagram. Here is a small collection of some of my latest images. 

1. Spotting the walking man while strolling around Hagley in the late afternoon sunshine

2. My first ever red velvet cupcake and it was amazing

3. Watching the Silver Ferns play against Australia. Was great having live international netball back in Christchurch.

4. Enjoy the atmosphere with mum, even cool enough to get spotted on TV.

5. Reminiscing about my Sydney trip with my girls. Still miss this city.

6. Throwback Thursday - Me and Burchell rocking it out at Good Vibrations Festival in 2009. Such an amazing day even with the torrential rain.

Hope you all enjoy your day. Least its one more day down to the weekend.

x

Shirt obsession

One of my most favourite items of clothing for the longest time are my collection of shirts. I really do love bright colours and the most comfortable styles. They easily compliment jeans or shorts for an easy breezy summer look. 

This cobaltblue Forever New shirt is almost the same as the Dotti top that i brought online a couple of months ago. The colour is seriously amazing.

Hope you enjoy your day

x

Gossip Girl xoxo

With the next and final season of Gossip Girl starting soon in the States i thought it was time to go through some of the wonderful fashion from the last 5 seasons. The clothes have become a real staple of the series and each of the characters have very distinct and distinguishable styles. Of course Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf both dominated the fashion stakes and have been style in some fabulous ensembles. Here are a few of my favourite combinations.

As you can probably tell my personal style favourite is Serena van der Woodsen, she always has stunning style for both day and night outfits. Her long glorious legs are generally what make each outfit and she uses them to her advantage.

Cant wait to have out final season begin and i know it will be full of drama as always. In the mean time i might have to rewatch some of my old seasons to get my fix.

xoxo [hehe :)]

Emmy's Fashion 2012

It seems that awards season just ended but today was the 64th Annual Primetime Emmy awards and of course all the attention was directed at the red carpet for all the glitz and glamour.

2 of my fave looks from the arrivals were Ginnfer Goodwin and Julianne Hough who both looked drop dead gorgeous.

Firstly Julianne wore a strapless Georges Hobeika dress from his 2012 couture collection. This style fitted her curves perfectly and i adore the turquoise colour.

One big disapointment i felt was Claire Danes who normally hits a homerun when it comes to award season, and with a budding baby bump did not pick a style or colour that i think complimented her at all. Sadly it was a big miss in mustard.

Who did you love?

Thought of the day

Not much else needs to be said. Friday is quite possibly my fave day of the week. TGIF.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend.

x

Shoes glorious shoes

Good morning all, i have always had an obsession with shoes. They can make or break a an outfit. 

The number one problem i have with shoes is that i am 5ft 9 and unfortunately i can wear sky high stiletto's because lets face it im tall enough anyway and these days shoes seem to be getting higher and higher. 

That doesn't mean i cant dream.

Cant believe its Thursday already and i am looking forward to having a quiet weekend then hitting a 6 day work week hard. Lets face it being out of home means that i need every cent i can get.

But thats all part of life and im loving having my own space.

x

Healthy starts now

This afternoon i have been working on my new fitness and food routine in the hope of being bikini ready for summer and to just be generally a lot healthier. Its easy to fall into bad routines and after my ankle injury i have found it a lot harder to loose what i have gained, especially during the cold winter nights where comfort food just makes everything see better. 

So starting today i am going to make sure i eat healthy foods and make sure that i up my water intake. 

Have to start somewhere and there is no better day than today. If you have any tips or suggestions about what you do to stay healthy then please feel free to pass along. 

Lets face it being healthy means being alot more confident and with the warmer weather heating up noone likes to feel uncomfortable with little or basically no clothing on.

No excuses!

Enjoy your night.

x

Lazy TV Day

I'am having a lazy day off and loving every minute of it. After having a wonderful spring lunchtime walk around Hagley Park i have settled in to watch my episodes of Brothers and Sisters. I remember when this show first came out and it used to be me and mum's daily routine together. Of course this usually came with a glass of red wine or two.

I am nearly done through the second season and i certainly havent forgotten how much i love it. They all have these fantastic relationships and some wonderful moments. My person favorite characters are Sarah and Kevin as they both have some wonderful one liners and such great comedic timing. Some of the best moments happen when they all get together for a family dinner or a fundraising dinner, they usually end with a massive fight and a huge bombshell being exposed. I just cant believe it got cancelled :( It certainly is a great way to spend a day.

I also received a wonderful care package i won off the radio last week, much needed supplies and a wonderful green coffee blend. Could be my new love.

Enjoy your day.
x

Outdoor perfection

Summer is on the way so i've found myself searching more and more for outdoor inspiration for parties, bbqs and casual cocktail parties. Some of my favorite summer memories have been spent outside and enjoying some wonderful company.

Its always fun to daydream about my perfect setting if i win lotto this week :)

Cannot wait for summer to finally arrive and bring on the fun times.

Its the weekend...

This is basically what im planning on doing all this weekend and the next 3 days off. I feel like all i've been doing is spending the last 2 weeks at work and i cant wait to actually recharge the batteries and get back to myself.

My days will be spent exercising, cooking in my new kitchen and finishing my book im reading.

Lets hope this fantastically warm weather continues and i can spend it outside.

Enjoy your weekend x

Decorating Inspiration

I know i've been preaching about Pinterest a couple of times but i literally cannot stay away. I struggle to get through my days without logging on and finding so many things that inspire me. None more so than decorating and DIY inspiration. Here is a collection of some of my favorite interior inspirations.

This wont be the last time i post these fantastic pictures. I really love the clean lines of crisp white decor. It is just so refreshing and classy.

Hope your all enjoying your week.

x

Thought of the day

Confidence is what makes you shine. Dont forget it.

Hope your all having a fantastic start to the week. I'm certainly counting down until the summer days are finally upon us.

x

Man i love to pack

Cannot wait to get on that plane next week and get to Sydney. Dont even mind the early morning wake up call, its all so worth it. 

 I do have a serious love for airports, especially since majority of the time we travel for excitement and a holiday.

It is also a fantastic place to people watch. As long as i have my early morning coffee, breakfast and magazines then i will be a happy girl.

x