{product review & giveaway} Vita-Weat Lunch Slices

I recently had the pleasure of test-driving the new Vita-Weat Lunch Slices as a part of the Soup Blogger Project. I've always been a fan of Vita-Weats so when this opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance. I must add in here that I have a very particular taste when it comes to crackers and crisp-bread so it's pretty much a yes or a no for me, never a maybe. 

My favourite Vita-Weat product has always been the Vita-Weat 9 Grain. Just a superb little snack that is full of goodness. Love it! As my little girl got to the toddler stage and was eating all sorts of food, I was always on the hunt for nutritious and healthy food that was easy to take with me wherever I went. I then discovered the Vita-Weat Grain Snacks in a multipack, my girl loved them, so they became our pantry staple. Then we moved into the Vita-Weat Grain Sticks. Tomato & Basil in particular!
There are four flavours in the Lunch Slices range: 
  • Soy, linseed & sesame
  • Sunflower, oats & chia
  • Sunflower, pumpkin & canola
  • Poppy, sunflower & rye

When I received the packs of the new Vita-Weat Lunch Slices I automatically thought this would be our natural family progression as now my kids are that bit older. I got to try out the slices over a few days for lunch in my own serenity with a variety of toppings and I must say.. the taste and texture of each flavour was great. They're much softer in texture than the 9 Grain. The size lets you pack more toppings on and experiment with the combinations. They stay together much better than I thought they would so you don't end up with everything on your lap and two slices are really quite satisfying. 

I love the packaging and love the fact that they are in two separate sealed bags inside, meaning that you don't have to rush to finish the box. 

I served them up on a couple of occasions when friends came to visit and the reaction to the taste was great, but as a party or get together food I could tell it was a little cumbersome as a plate was most certainly needed, which made running around after kids a little tricky. So I guess, as the name suggests, it really is a Lunch Slice rather than a party cracker.. oops on my behalf. 

I served the Lunch Slices up for my kids on a number of occasions, but the outcome was a little disappointing. They were way too big for them and even with simple toppings like vegemite and cheese, just didn't get eaten. I did kind of hope for that progression to the Lunch Slices as I don't love having too many open packs of crisp type bread in the pantry at once. But the progression might just need to wait a little. The visible seeds, which put a big smile on my face when I saw them, kind of had the opposite reaction with the little ones. 

So my verdict so far is that I love them as a WAHM, as I can add fresh toppings to them just before eating them, but the fam's not with me on this one. I can't pack them filled with goodies for hubby for lunch and him juggling cans of tuna when out an about would just be too messy. I still think my #1 favourite Vita-Weat 9 Grain is a much better option for a mum's group get together. The size is just much easier to manage. It's something that will definitely have a home in our pantry however, and I guess I'll just need to rotate the flavours until someone else joins me. 

I'll keep testing these guys out though, and will be back to share some of my favourite toppings soon. Till then, I'd love to share the love with you, my lovely readers, and give you a chance to try these Lunch Slices yourself by winning this fab hamper full of goodies. 


For your chance to win, simply leave a comment with a topping that you'd love to try out on the Vita-Weat Lunch Slices. The winner will be drawn on Monday 24th of October 2011. Each new topping suggestion gets you an additional entry, so get commenting and don't forget to check back here next week to see if you're the winner. 

{a day in the life of..} Shan Sheard from missy melly & melly boys


Today I'd like to introduce you to an amazing woman and friend of mine Shan Sheard, owner and designer of Missy Melly and Melly Boys as well as owner of Absolute Balance Acupuncture. So lets pop over to Shan's house and see what she gets up to in a day...


  • Up at 5-5:30am, my girls like to get the worm..
  • Coffee/tea for me and milk for the girls while I make all the beds, empty the dishwasher and hang out the washing
  • Playing for a little while
  • Check emails/orders and add to my to do list while the girls eat breakfast
  • Housework – I try and get a quick job done now
  • Breakfast and a shower
  • Get the girls dressed
  • Decide what we’re doing for the morning and then out for an outing/errands/shopping – we always do something during the day like go for a walk, go to the park, or the beach, feed the ducks, playgroup
  • Lunch
  • The girls will have some quiet time/watch a DVD/listen to a CD/drawing/painting/playdough/reading while I do some sewing or cutting out
  • More playing
  • Housework, bring in the washing and put it away
  • Get dinner started -  the girls always “help” out in the kitchen
  • Out for a walk when hubby gets home
  • Dinner
  • Bath the girls and tidy up
  • Read them some stories
  • Settle them to bed
  • Put on the dishwasher and washing machine
  • A cuppa with my hubby
  • Sewing/cutting out fabrics
  • A little TV while I pack orders ready for posting
  • Bed – aaahhhhhh 
Here is a little taste of this years Spring/Summer range... stunning fabrics, beautiful timeless lines and oh my.. what gorgeous cherubs!! Love your work lovely lady!!






{a day in the life of..} Suzanne Leonard from Luminous Life Kinesiology




The concept for Luminous Life was created from the idea that everyone deserves to reach their full potential in life - whatever they choose that to be.

For every person this is different - some of us want to help others, some of us want to achieve great things in sport, or at work, some of us want to simply relax and enjoy the things around us. Whatever you would like to do in your life - we believe its possible! It may seem hard sometimes, and trust me; we've all been there. But ultimately, we believe that if you can clear away any obstacles in your path you will achieve all the things you dream of, and even more.

Luminous Life's philosophy is built on the understanding that we create the life we live. So if there are obstacles, we can learn to release them, even when they seem insurmountable.

Kinesiology is one tool that helps to clear these obstacles, and travel forward to the life we really want to lead - a luminous life.

Web: http://www.luminouslife.com.au
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Luminous-Life-Kinesiology/222322091127175

The luminous kinesiology room in Stirling, SA
So here is Suzanne's day..


6:15am alarm goes off: prise my eyes open enough to find the ovulation thermometer on the bedside table and then, if I'm really lucky, put it in my mouth without waking myself up with some kind of bizarre stabbing.

6:30am realise I'm still in bed, probably with thermometer hanging out of my mouth (attractively of course), and slowly navigate my way out from under my almost conscious, impossibly heavy and angular (knees and elbows simultaneously sticking into me) 4 yr old WITHOUT waking her.

6:40am try again to navigate my way out from under aforementioned almost conscious 4yr old, who now has fistful of my hair (in her sleep) unconsciously trying to keep me nearby until she is ready to wake up.  Wondering just when exactly she arrived in my bed anyway???

6:45am sit on floor collecting my thoughts as I realise I've managed to escape Houdini-like from octopus girl, whom I should also mention at this point, is impossibly cute and loveable.

6:47am decide whether to go for a walk, or attempt Zumba in the lounge room in vague attempt to get fit.

6:50am decide Zumba is safer as have spent soooo long getting out of bed that my walk would need to be a quick sprint to allow me to get home before hubby has to leave for work.  At least this way, if Impossible Cuteness sleeps in I can squeeze in some extra time sweating to a barely audible (try not to wake Cuteness) Zumba.

7:30am after happily sweating away for at least 30 mins, and breathily (but of course somehow very sexily) waving goodbye to hubby on his way out the door, frantically realise that Cuteness will be awake any minute and I haven't yet made breakfast, let alone lunch, and Oh Sh@t, forgot to put out the washing before bed last night, so now have to frantically blow dry some undies with the hair dryer.

7:35am Yells of "mummy" from the bedroom: More panicking sets in…how did I get so distracted exercising (this has NEVER happened before – normally I'm watching the clock willing it to be over so I can open the choc biscuits without feeling guilty).  Now I have to multi task – something I SWEAR I was GREAT at before Impossible Cuteness descended into my life – spend quality time with my Cuteness, whilst sneakily getting her dressed in those now dried undies and somehow allowing her to choose her own clothes without actually letting her out the house in the woolly leggings and layer upon layer of summer dresses that she wants to wear to school today.  Oh, wait, did I say school….No Mummy, I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL.

7:50am Managed to avoid the whole going to school conversation, and decided upon a boiled egg and pencils/soldiers for breakfast (an all time fav as next to no preparation and can make lunches while egg is cooking).  Very glad to have loads of leftovers from a party the day before – making lunches easy and creative all at the same time.  Am starting to feel speedy and back on track again ☺

8:00am Wow, I've managed to actually have us sitting down to eat breakfast together with minimum effort – would be feeling like supermum, but only one of us has clothes on (I'll leave that to your imagination).

8:20am UhOh, time has gotten away again….stand at kitchen counter taking what feels like a truckload of vitamins (thanks to my lovely naturopath who is helping me get fit and healthy again).  Race off to have the world's fastest shower, using the time to plan what to wear today and wish I was one of those organised people who planned the night before).

8:25am Race out of shower so fast that I air dry (who has time for a towel?!), and discover Impossible Cuteness is digging in the backyard looking for the bug she caught last week at school and brought home to our house to breed (where does a 4 yr old learn about breeding??) 

8:30am recommence negotiations about going to preschool.  Trying to be positive and patient, don't want to create a "thing" about school whilst we're still at preschool stage….but inwardly starting to panic again as have a client to get to and a long drive fraught with semitrailers and scarily slow drivers designed to induce roadrage

8:40am Ok, so we're all dressed, but Impossible Cuteness has disappeared again – this time to the toilet.  Uh Oh, its going to be a long wait.

8:50am standing semi-patiently on one foot, holding ESR points (special kinesiology trick that is a must have for all mums), to enable remaining calm in the face of running late for not only school, but work as well, due to the world's longest bathroom break. Make mental note to enforce more water into Impossible Cuteness' diet.

8:55am finally in car with assortment of laptop bags, lunch bags, school bags, library bags, coats, umbrellas….plus a helium balloon for show and tell, food for the rabbits and some leftover party cupcakes to share at school (a "mummy's on a detox so don't allow sugar anywhere nearby strategy").

9:25am having battled semi trailers and assorted nana-drivers, played countless games of "I Spy – 4 yr old version",  seen how far we can count before mummy goes insane finds something else educational and meaningful to distract on the long car trip with, we arrive at school, only 10 minutes late.

9:45am Miraculously, Impossible Cuteness is happy to wave goodbye, busy feeding the rabbits with radish leaves mummy is now VERY pleased to have juggled out to the car this morning on top of the laptop bag (even though I realise later than one has somehow made it into my hair, and not one single person at school, the local café or the queue at the ATM was brave enough to mention – ok…so maybe I always look this scary in the morning).

9:50am pull up at local favourite café to buy quick celebratory coffee before starting work (after all – did manage to do Zumba, make a healthy lunch for all, including rabbits, get to school intact, altho a little late, with no tears from anyone), before realising have a completely empty purse, having left the last of the weekly budget cash in dressing gown pocket.  Quick sob, then after remembering that first client appointment of the day has been rescheduled, justification to drive to next suburb to go to ATM and buy coffee – totally justified, right, besides, surely one coffee won't kill the detox (especially considering the party food that must've done way more damage yesterday)?

10:20am OMG did I really waste 30 mins on a roadtrip to buy coffee that I'm not even meant to be drinking on this detox?  Try not to calculate the amount of money lost in not working (I get paid by the hour after all).  Rush up to my office. Start work.

10:45am Remote balance for client –yes, this is as weird as it sounds.  

11:45am Having a wonderful time working on a client, but getting a little confused trying to look up complicated neurochemical pathways on medical websites on the iPhone!!  Note to self – MUST get proper internet connection at work as soon as can afford.  Why oh why doesn't the standard Anatomy and Physiology text book (that I paid a fortune for) not have this info in it when I need it?  Wondering if other kinesiologists have such complex (altho fascinating and wonderful) clients.

12:45pm Finished session for client.  Feeling very proud as was very detailed and complex and hopefully will produce wonderful results.  Email balance notes to client.  Fill in timesheet and realise that even though Impossible Cuteness has been at school since 9:15 (well, could've been at school by then if we'd moved a little faster in the morning), and its now almost 1pm, I have actually only worked 1 billable hour.  Determined to power through corporate consulting work for rest of morning (no other kinesi clients today).

1:00pm Landlord/neighbour at work pops in for chat – lovely and useful (after all, I do need to let her know that the toilet's running again) but not billable.  

1:15pm OK…focus…get some billable work done

1:20pm phone call from complete stranger wanting me to help with her homework??!!  Hmm…was that for real?  I should mention here, this was a grown woman, not a teenager who wouldn't know where else to get the information from. Considering being nice/potential marketing opportunity/knowledge sharing versus possible hoax/more non-billable time spent if I do help.  Asked her to email so that I had time to consider.

1:30pm  OK….focus…get some billable work done

1:35pm Can't focus…oh yeah…need to eat lunch.

1:36pm focus and eat at same time – love working for myself, own office, no-one can see me spill pasta salad on my keyboard.  Ooops…that's right….keyboard doesn't work so well when sticky.

1:45pm  Clean keyboard, focussed and being productive.  Go girl.

2:00pm Unsolicited phone call from telemarketer with vaguely interesting proposition.  Not quite sure exactly what she means (something about Google marketing), but actually does sound reasonable so spend a little time trying to understand and deciding whether worth paying attention.

2:15pm Trying to get off the phone now….trying not to be rude…trying to packup office whilst on phone…trying to not lock self out of office while juggling phone, turning off heater etc.  Trying to get off phone… trying to get off phone.  OK…maybe now I need to reach back to my corporate no nonsense, no time wasting days, and just tell her to go away.

2:30pm grateful that office is so close to preschool.  Pickup Impossible Cuteness, who has had a wonderful happy day.  Am so grateful that kinesi has helped her to get past the separation anxiety and enjoy her time at this wonderful school.

3:00pm having collected assorted library bags, raincoats, school bags, reader bag, plastic container for rabbit food, school notices, someone else's umbrella (oops) we have finally made it back to the car.  Did it really just take 1/2 hour to do a simple school pickup??? How on earth will we ever get anything done when this is an every day occurrence EEEEkkkkkk!

3:45pm Made it back home past the semi trailers, nana-drivers, and other assorted road challenges.

4:00pm finally make it in the front door – just how long can it take to get out of the car and get inside???  Hmm…our record so far – 30 mins!!

Reconnect laptop to send/receive emails.  Unpack lunchbags – how does she get through a day on the minuscule amount she eats? Save leftovers for rabbits tomorrow - best fed rabbits ever – only the best certified organic, home made, whole foods for those rabbits.  Put away coats/bags/new buggy additions to family/say hi to cats (who don't like the bugs much).  Put on a load of washing.  Wash dishes from this morning's panic–run.

4:30pm Early dinner for Cuteness who is off to karate – in training to be Impossibly Cute AND Tough.

4:45pm Trying to be patient whilst explaining that really MUST wash hands before dinner, especially after playing with bugs/rabbits and who knows what else at preschool.  Got the Emotional Stress Release technique on standby…after all, mummy's on a detox, so no afternoon chocolate to keep the energy up.

5:00pm  Finally sitting down to a now-cold dinner.  Did it really take 1/2 hour to get ready for dinner????

5:01pm  Negotiations about watching TV whilst eating dinner.  Hmm….someone is tired, and its not me!  Well, ok, it is me, but I'm not the grumpy one.  Wondering how we're going to cope at karate tonight on a diet of chicken and no vegetables.  Manage to distract away from the idea of TV, but having trouble winning the debate on vegetables.  Wishing I was one of those parents who just said "Do as I say!!".  Balancing on that fine line of showing respect to my cuteness, whilst still being a strong firm mummy.  Yay for the fine line balancing act – got the veges in, and we're actually ready on time to leave for karate.

5:40pm  Hmm…haven't seen her go to the toilet since getting home from school.  Damn, knew I should've asked before we left the house.

5:50pm Rush inside Dojo to go to toilet for first time (apparently since LEAVING FOR SCHOOL THAT MORNING).  Wow, no wonder had trouble fitting those veges in!  Mental note: make sure to mention to teachers that she needs reminding to drink water whilst at school.  Are all 4 yr olds camels in disguise?  Hmmm…that might explain the temper!

6:00pm Oh.. love watching Impossible Cuteness in the karate class.  Smallest one there – but somehow holding her own, even though I'm positive she's feeling scared.  So proud that she's in there overcoming her fear after being hit at school numerous times a year ago (previous preschool – glad we're out of there).  So proud that this is her own choice, that even at such a young age she is learning to stand up for herself, and getting her sense of self back again after losing so much confidence.  And so grateful to my brother, who owns the Dojo, who has accepted her into the kids class even though she's still 6 months younger than their normal starting point.  Glad she has the focus to stay in the class and concentrate, even though I'm sure its a challenge for her being the youngest.

6:10pm  Uh Oh…what happened to that focus.  Impossible Cuteness is impossibly tired….such a fun, wonderful, exhausting day yesterday with a party at our house to welcome us back from interstate. Lots of emotions and excitement are taking their toll today.  She bows off the mat and we go home early from class.  So glad to be able to be gentle and kind when my little one is needing it.  So glad to be able to leave my own stuff behind and let her decide what is best for her.  (having seen dancing mums when I was younger, pushing their kids no matter what – am glad I don't need to go there now that I'm the mum).

6:40pm  Home again….a group hug with daddy who's arrived home whilst we were out.

6:45pm bathtime negotiations begin. Very glad hubby's home to be creative in dealing with tired little not so cuteness anymore.  Quick check of emails, work out what work needs to be done tonight, hangout that load of washing, sneak in a quick convo with hubby re who's making dinner and how to use up the rest of the party leftovers before they go off and/or green.

7:15pm  Snuggled up in bed reading bedtime stories.  LOVE LOVE this time of night (the bit after she's resigned herself to going to bed, and is feeling all snuggly and loveable).  Lights out, I cave into lying down beside her while she's going to sleep…afterall, I haven't had that chocolate to give me energy to keep going from that afternoon crash, and oops, there I go, asleep before she is.  Lucky for me being perched on the side of a single bed is not comfortable enough to let me sleep for long.  That and the thundering reverberations of her snores, wakes me in time to sneak in a quick shower and hair wash before dinner is ready (love not having to cook tonight).

8:00pm Clean, fresh and warm, and eating dinner in front of the tv with hubby.  Wow… how am I going to get back to work at this point???

9:00pm  Ok..come on…must do some work…after all, had almost no billable hours today.  Oh…what's this?  Some funny emails. Oh, and should check FB…oooh, Kasia wants a Day in the Life… ooooh, maybe I could do that instead of that boring old corporate work.

10:00pm Hmm… ok… so maybe I got a little distracted.  Lucky I'm a fast typist.

10:10pm oh… have reread my day, do I really want other people to read this?  Maybe I should edit – besides, she didn't ask me to write the next War and Peace!  And do I really want everyone else to know just how imperfect their resident kinesiologist is?  Probably not the best career move.  Maybe I'm a closet blogger!!?

10:15pm  Oh well… I'll let Kasia decide.

10:30pm Ok… focus… get some billable work done

Midnight Off to bed xx

Thank you Suzanne!! Lots of belly laughs there!! And for the record.. I didn't edit! I copied and pasted it, as it is your day and who am I to cut out stuff?


{oh so grateful..} pajamas and pancakes..

Today I'm so grateful for our little family and our own little traditions.. One of my faves is Sunday morning pancakes which have now moved into pancakes in pajamas..

We've had pancakes almost every Sunday for the past two years and as the kiddos grow it just gets more wonderful. Little Lou now knows the recipe and quantities of everything and is fully hands on in making them.. Everyone has their preferred topping and everyone gets a nice full tummy to set them up for a busy Sunday.

Now that the munchkins are a little older, they might not sleep in longer but at least get the concept of a non rushed morning. We hang out in our PJ's and just take it easy.

Joining in with maxabella's grateful linkup over at Lemon Rhodes..




{quick three..} desserts


Desserts.. OMG!! why oh why did I choose this topic the week I have started training for an 18km walk. Must tell myself that pictures are good enough for now!!

Without a doubt when it comes to sweets I like the creamy variety desserts.. so so bad for you but so so delicious and such a heavenly texture. So here are my top three..

{1} Cheesecakes
I love them!! But they need a good quality base, not too sweet cheese part and a berry of sort topping. I hate the prefabricated / mass produced ones!! I occasionally go for the chocolate types but they are generally too sweet, but I did discover one a little while back with a jaffa chocolate topping that kind of looked like the image above. So the chocolate taste was there, but it did have a citrus zing.. mmm...

{2} Ice Cream
Oh ice cream how I love thee!!! See my quick three ice cream post for details.. 

{3} Chocolate / Chocolate Fudge
Good quality chocolate, preferably swiss milk chocolate or a good dark chocolate or a homemade chocolate fudge. 

A few changes to the quick three guys.. I'm still going to do a weekly quick three post, and it will still be on a Tuesday (provided I don't get side tracked), but I've decided not to continue with the link up. If you do join in and write on the weekly topic, by all means comment below and share a link to your blog. I'd love to reading them. 

{a day in the life of..} Sandy Bugg from Wrapped in Fabric


To kick start the {a day in the life of..} series, I'd love to introduce the lovely Sandy Bugg from Wrapped in Fabric. This super clever lady not only runs and online fabric store but owns the label A Lillie Bug. So, she is crafty and lives in fabric heaven. So let's jump into Sandy's day, and see what she gets up to..

Every morning around 6am I am dragged from my bed by 2 amazing little people, Byron 4 and Amelia 2 demanding milo and play school! 

On making them happy and brewing a hot black cuppa coffee I resort to my office to check emails that fabric lovers often send at odd hours of the evening! From there invoices are printed and stored for packing & shipping day, the bank account and paypal are checked for payments and I jump in the shower while the kids are still quiet!

Often hubby walks in from a night shift around 7.30am and heads straight to bed (after lots of hugs and kisses from the kids).

I race around picking up what ever mess has occurred through out the night! Then yell at Dylan 18 to get up for work! Saying its a Monday, I pack lunches for the little ones, dress, shoes, hair, teeth!...phew by then another cuppa is needed! Throw down the cuppa and quickly check emails again!

Pile the kids in the car for a 15 min drive to day care with my bowl of yoghurt to go! Day care starts at 9am. 

I then fly by the PO to pick up any fabric thats arrived then bolt home to greet Tabitha who has already begun sorting through invoices and entering them into MYOB. I make us both a cuppa and give her the run down on what I need her to do for the day! Tab works 8ish hours on Mondays and rarely has a lunch break! She's FAB!!!

Off to the cutting room I go! With a stack of invoices at bay! I cut and place all orders in a plastic crate constantly until say 2 ish or until orders stop flowing in! Tabitha takes the crate and sorts, bags and packs the orders!

I head into the office with my Ryvitas and tomato and cheese and chomp away while checking urgent emails that have arrived!

Around 3pm I wake hubby (Brett) from his beauty sleep. At 4pm I head to the PO again with stacks of gorgeous fabric to post! Then I pick the kids up if Brett doesn't, and start thinking about dinner!

Who ever says working from home is a breeze has nuts in their head! Its great as if the kids are sick I am here for them but boy it certainly is a full time job!



Thank you Sandy! Yep.. completely agree, working from home is crazy.. but a good crazy!!


Wrapped in Fabric not only stocks an amazing range of designer fabrics, but also sewing patterns, books and specialty fabric such as chalk cloth and laminated fabric. Above is a photo of the fabric headquarters and a couple of my favourite fabrics. 


Email: wrappedinfabric@bigpond.com
Web: www.wrappedinfabricaustralia.com
Craftumi:  www.craftumi.com.au/WRAPPEDinFABRIC
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wrappedinfabric

{a day in the life of..} a new series..



A few months back I received an invite from an dear old highschool friend to join a group of Positive Business Women. I din't think too much about it, but joined up because Shan is an amazing woman and friend who somehow finds the positive in all of life's little challenges. She is the owner of Missy Melly and Melly Boys and also runs her own acupuncture business and is a nurse.. all while being a mum to two beautiful twin girls and a wife to her lovely hubby. Yep, very proud to say, she's my friend!!

Little did I know what this gathering of women would turn into. In only a few short months I have gained so much knowledge, inspiration and advice from all these wonderful women who also juggle families while building a business. Some are just starting out and some are simply booming in their field. The Business are an eclectic mix of handmade clothing businesses, natural therapists, tupperware managers and even a mum who makes and sells cookie dough.

We've all became very close and share things from how to solve business dilemmas, tips on housekeeping, organisational tips and we even have a little health kick group. Its amazing what positivity can do in your everyday life and how a group of 'positivity' focussed women can help each other in so many different ways.

Each day I log in and touch base with my new buddies and each day I am grateful for my gorgeous friend Shan for starting, building and continuing such a wonderful group.

I feel extremely blessed to have met all these wonderful women and wanted to share just how they do what they do. Each week I will introduce you to a new amazing business woman and their business. There's nothing like a kicking the week off with a bit of inspiration so Monday's the day.

Be sure to pop in weekly so you too can meet these awesome women behind these businesses in the new series {a day in the life of..}.

{quick three..} favourite dinners..


Quite simply said.. I love seafood but absolutely hate cooking it. Doesn't make sense really, but that's the way it is.

So whenever I go out for dinner I try and eat seafood of some sort. I love everything from the good old butter fish at the local fish and chip shop to lobsters and crabs.. give me a sea creature and I'll probably eat it with w a big smile on my face.

So, jumping into my top three dinner choices we have:

{1} Salt & Pepper Squid
{2} Garlic Prawns
{3} Seafood Marinara

So what dish can you not resist when going out for dinner.. or better still, what dish do you just rock at making at home?


If you'd like to join in, grab my {quick three..} button from my sidebar if you like and add your {quick three..} post below.  Please add a link back to here in your post so others can join in the fun and only link up if you are joining in the quick three.

This linky will be open all week.. we're all busy so no hurry here.. For more info go to the {quick three} tab at the top..  If you don't have a blog or haven't had a chance to do a post.. feel free to jot down your little list as a comment..

Next weeks theme will be {favourite dessert}.. following dinner there has got to be dessert.. right? 


{image from here}



{oh so grateful..} for home haircuts..



Today I'm grateful for home haircuts.. Seriously grateful!

I've been buzzing my hubbies hair since we met and I'm far from a hairdresser, but those clippers are, oh so easy!! Whoever came up with the idea of having them readily available to the unqualified public.. I LOVE YOU!!

So with a decade of haircutting up my sleeve to only one dedicated client, but still a decade, I feel quite comfortable cutting my little mans hair. He's special, in the sense that he either likes something or he doesn't. To add to his aries stubborn ways, he also is a VERY effective communicator. I shake at the though of having to take him to an actual hairdresser. So the decade of practice has came in very handy.

We now have a bit of a family hair cutting tradition. I cut the little guys hair, while my 4.5yo cuts my hubby's hair. Zaccy laughs his head off at dad being tortured and forgets about the buzzing sound around his head. OK.. so his hair is super snow blond and you can see every cut mark, making him look like a freshly shawn sheep.. but hey, its short and there were no tears.


PS.. I do tidy hubby's hair after the Ella attack and I am forever grateful for him being such a champ and being brave enough to let a 4.5yo cut loose on his head with a sharp pair of scissors. 

{image from here}
Joining in with Maxabella's grateful link up over at Mira Narnie's today.. 

{treasury} the colours of fall..

{view live version here}
I haven't curated an etsy treasury for a while now.. but with all these beautiful oranges popping up all over the place, I just couldn't resist.

This one features my fellow etsykids team members.. aren't they a clever bunch?

{quick three..} favourite lunch..


So today is all about lunch.. I don't love the lunch hour, break or whatever you might call stopping to eat in the middle of the day. I get hungry about 10:30am as I eat brekky so early and I much prefer not to stop what I am doing to eat. This is probably a huge downfall in the whole, eating well thing for me. I tend to grab something out of the cupboard and keep going. I'm am trying to change my ways though.. So at this stage these are probably what I eat for dinner but really should move to lunch.

my quick three are:

{1} Shushi.. 
Without hesitation my favourite food when I go out any time after 11am. Everyone in our house doesn't go there, so anytime I am out by myself or with friends and sushi is an option, it always wins. 

{2} Nachos..
So so so incredibly bad, but so full of flavour, crunch and memories. I had quite an addiction to nachos in my uni days and they bring back a lot of memories, as well as make my taste buds dance.

{3} Focaccia.. 
Now there is a particular blend of ingredients that are a must, being: chicken, avocado, swiss cheese, sundried tomatoes, marinated mushrooms and any other roast veggies available. I prefer an open grill version, where everything is there on display. 

Another set of ingredients that do the trick on a focaccia are; smoked salmon, sour cream, asparagus and a heap of pepper. 

So what tickles your fancy or makes your taste buds dance in the middle of the day?

If you'd like to join in, grab my {quick three..} button from my sidebar if you like and add your {quick three..} post below.  Please add a link back to here in your post so others can join in the fun and only link up if you are joining in the quick three.

This linky will be open all week.. we're all busy so no hurry here.. For more info go to the {quick three} tab at the top..  If you don't have a blog or haven't had a chance to do a post.. feel free to jot down your little list as a comment..

Next weeks theme will be {favourite dinner food}.. following on from lunch is dinner.. 


{image from here}




{oh so grateful..} for a wonderful week..


The past week has been huge for me, and I'm grateful for an absolute abundance of things..

I'm grateful for getting my act together and organising my website. I was terrified of the job of getting it all organised but I'm so glad I persevered. The launch was today and it went beautifully. I feel like a huge weight has lifted and I can focus on doing cool designs for the kiddos and kiddos at heart again. 

I'm grateful for not listening to many peoples advice to not attend the Adelaide Royal Show. We went as a family on Tuesday with a couple of friends and had a ball. The kids had smiles on their faces the whole time and haven't stopped talking about all the things they saw since. 

I'm grateful for my extremely supportive and positive friends. You guys truly rock, and although those kicks up the butt are rather gentle, they still help me get the job/s done. 

I'm grateful for going to my first ever scrapbooking class on Wednesday night.. I almost didn't go as I still had so much to do on the website before the launch, but going completely took my mind off things and I'm super stoked for keeping up with the pro-scrapbooking nannas and making 4 gorgeous cards. 

I'd love for you to check out my new website and give me feedback. If you do want to shop use the code { BANANA SPLIT } and you'll receive 10% off your order. 

Joining in with Maxabella Loves.. you should too!!

For those of you who join in with my Quick Three.. Sorry for the no show.. I was at the show, and completely forgot about my little blog. I'll be back with it on Tuesday.

{oh so grateful..} for online sharing


Every day I am amazed by the incredible generosity of the online world..I have so much to say, yet feel quite speechless at the moment, so I'll use my {dot point} backup here..

Today I am grateful for:
{1} online tutorials - so much free information out there on absolutely every topic
{2} free printables - so wonderderful to see that people can share something the do so well for others to enjoy
{3} forums - I can't say I have ever been a part of one, but have heard amazing stories of support
{4} online groups - I'm part of one on facebook and I get incredible inspiration, ideas and information from like minded business ladies daily
{5} blogs - goes without saying, its just incredible to be able to read someone's story and know someone out there who you might never meet is going through the very same thing you are.

Here is a link to one tutorial (a list really) I fell in love with this week.. 10 Eco Friendly Play Kitchens..

Joining in with Maxabella Loves' Grateful Saturday.. hosted by Emily at The Beetle Shack..

{image from here}