Monday Musings - my week in Instagram

fruit platter | caviar   

    breakfast for dinner | morning tea table

       BOO! to you too | coffee & jaffa cake

     happy foot | eggs benedict

sexy beast | old beast

  my new love of macro | food photography bliss

beach love

Monday Musings - The beach beckoned

As far as first weeks back at work go last week was great! I was happy to see the girls (and boy, just in case the one no-blog-reading boy in our office ever reads my blog, HI PETE!) and got stuck into a very overdue spring clean of my office. I caught myself smiling a few times at how lovely and clean it looked to kick off the new year. Smiling over work? I know right!

As you may know I don’t do countdowns of days, however I must say I was quietly looking forward to Saturday. I had big plans of cleaning my garden, weeding and an afternoon of fun with the Karcher. I also had big plans to cook. My delivery of fresh fruit and veg from my friendly grocer The Lettuce Shop was delivered on Friday afternoon, so you can imagine my excitement at my crisper (it’s a foodie thing) brimming with fresh veges, waiting for the weekend for me to indulge in some new recipes.

Saturday morning started with a sleep-in, slowly eaten breakfast, a trip to the supermarket (I must add that since I get my fresh produce and eggs and milk home delivered, my supermarket trip is now very brief) followed by an afternoon of weekend bliss. I made delicious prawn linguine, I wrote two blog posts,  enjoyed some writing for my writing job and some banter on twitter, took some photos, enjoyed some long uninterrupted conversation with my boys, let the dog sit inside with us (this is a treat believe me!), smiled at the kindness of others commenting on my blog and sharing my words.

Sunday morning I indulged in some more cooking (roasted capsicum and feta fritters) and then decided the garden can wait and went to the beach instead. I waited all week to clean the yard but the beach beckoned. I can never say no to the beach.

All those simple moments made for a beautiful weekend. 

Bubbles of bliss… beach. sun. sand. writing. cooking. eating. resting. seeing my eBook pop up twice on Instagram by Aimee of Kiss and Makeup, and Sonia of Life, Love and Hiccups. *LOVE*

Here’s to a great week. If you suffer from Mondayitis I hope today was painless!

Monday Musings - Summer Holiday Love

As my lovely two week vacation draws to an end I reflect on the fun that we had. Two weeks of no alarm, late nights, sleep-ins, no makeup, beach, lots of cooking, endless Instagram and twitter banter, writing, reading, slothing, movie viewing, eating (but slow sit-at-the-table eating), long drawn out breakfasts, BBQs, fish and chips picnics, ice-cream by the beach, Nespresso - LOTS of Nespresso, late night Nespresso (oh how I will miss this), lengthy chats without time restriction and no agenda.

The simple things... 

{all images taken on iPhone}

Holidays, it's been fun. Until next time...

Monday Musings - every pot has a lid.

Nothing makes me happier than spending my weekend with my boys, my family and my teeny, tiny kitchen. During the week I like to think about what new dishes I would like to try on the weekend and I even plan when I will make what. This weekend I made traditional Finnish Pulla but instead of my usual scroll shaped buns I made a long plaited bun topped with flaked almonds. It was delicious! My son and nephew happily devoured half of it within hours of it coming out of the oven. I also made a smoked salmon, Camembert and dill quiche. I used my Grandmother’s famous Finnish pastry. Also delicious! I spent Sunday afternoon with one of my besties over from Melbourne, and as always laughs ensued. Her husband-to-be is just lovely. I did zero housework and cringe at the mess, but I smile over the joy that was my weekend.



  ♥ Fazier Finnish chocolate, iittala & coffee plus Frankie. Afternoon bliss. ♥

 

♥ Smile inducing orange doors. In an alleyway behind my office.♥



♥ Flossy Photography made it to finalist in the Canon EOS5 photo comp and so I posted a shout out on Instagram. Have you voted yet? ♥

 

♥ Making lime tart for my nephew. ♥



♥ My sister in law's Christmas present. In November! ♥



♥ Getting my Finnish bake on. About to make Pulla. ♥



♥ This sight brings me joy ~ rising Pulla dough. ♥



♥ Finnish Pulla, fresh out the oven. ♥



♥ Everyone, meet Ben. He gave me the best insight into the meaning of my blog title.
I wish I could remember it word for word. How dapper is he! ♥



♥ My grandmother once said "every pot has a lid". This is my dear friend Kieu and her lid. I love him. ♥ 

Bubbles of bliss… laughs with my sister in law and seeing her face light up when she opened her Christmas gift super early. seeing my nephew and son laugh all night. chinwag and laughs with my dear friend Kieu and her beau, Ben. baking Finnish Pulla. my nephew and son ripping apart the Pulla fresh out the oven. trying a new quiche and acing it. Hubby eating said quiche and loving it. seeing my son rollerskate for the first time. reading, writing, smiling.

I hope your weekend was fabulous!



Peggy

Monday Musings - The Reader's Edition

I get very excited over each and every new follower of my blog. When I notice a new follower I actually clap my hands with delight and give out a squeaky (but quiet) YAY! My blog is still very humble with its 36 followers but I have always been a 'quality over quantity' kinda gal. I may only have 36 followers but I really LOVE my readers. I am the Lady Gaga of blogging. If I was quick enough I would've called you all my little monsters (damn you Lady Gaga and your quick thinking)! Although, you are hardly my ‘fans’ rather my blog companions, not getting ahead of myself here.

So I got to thinking last week about the amazing comments I get on my blog posts. I smile over every single one of them. I get excited when I see a comment from one of my regular readers as I do over a new comment. But I started to wonder, even with 2, 5, sometimes 10 comments on a post, where are all my other readers lurking? I love the regular comments from my blogging buddies – Cherie from A baby called Max, Julie from Mama of 2 boys, Teresa from Amelie in Wonderland, Shar from Mum on the Run, Sonia from Life, Love and Hiccups - from my Mum, my friends and from other bloggers who pop in now and again. Now I am keen to learn more about readers who have never (or rarely) commented. I want to know what inspires you, what is your passion? What is it about your daily life you love? Have you recently bought something amazing you want to share? What can you not live without? You all know I LOVE to share, I recently wrote about my love of sharing here. And essentially that is the very essence of my blog, sharing that which I find beautiful.

So if you have never commented on my blog, today is your day. I would love to hear from you. Go on then, share with me. Anything.

Ok. GO!

Peggy

** Comments from regulars also essential.

{image source: Pinterest}

Monday Musings - gratitude in abundance

I am a huge advocate of loving what you have rather than coveting that which you don't. I feel that wanting possessions with the thought they'll make you happy is an endless task; once you acquire something you only go on to wanting something more. As clichéd as it may sound, the sooner we love what we have the sooner we'll find contentment.

I can say this as I have come from a previously unhappy and discontented place. I now, in my happiest state, live in a humble, small abode. I drive a 15 year old car that rattles. I wear whatever I can find in my closet, seasons over. I rarely really have a need for material items unless they will serve a purpose (ie I need a new kitchen) or I come across something I absolutely MUST have (ie something dreamy by Marimekko). I wear the same makeup daily and only replace it when it's finished. I wear the same jewellery daily and have done for years. I furnished my home when we bought it and will probably not furnish it again unless something breaks.

I find happiness in moments, my loved ones, my surroundings. I had my niece and nephews stay over for most of this past week, that made me smile. My brother and sister in law visited a few times, that made me smile. My husband and son had a boys day out and went out for lunch together, that made me smile. Seeing my family happy makes me smile.

So as the end of my holidays draw near I find myself feeling grateful for the quality time I have been able to spend with my dearest for the past two weeks. I have been able to sit through Diary of a Wimpy Kid and actually watch it in its entirety with my son, without needing to get up and do chores that need doing with my usual limited time. As I look through my sparkling clean windows into my spring-cleaned back garden (as I say, it really is the simple things) I am grateful I had the quality time to fuss over my abode without it encroaching heavily on my family time. I smile to myself. I smile over these simple moments that fill my heart with joy, and I am grateful.

A shiny, fancy car and a huge, fancy home could never provide all that.

Bubbles of bliss... finishing my laundry by noon, on a Monday. no Mondayitis. belly laughs at the cinema. shiny windows and blinds. Karcher love on my back yard. seeing my son in the company of his cousins. laughs with my niece and nephews. seeing my nephew play footy. sunny days. spring weather. lots of baking. hearing my nephew say my first attempt at this pasta dish was 'awesome'. my sister-in-law coming over and mowing my lawn (bless). receiving my beloved Erin Condren planner *swoon*.

Here's to a week that's filled with smiles and gratitude, make it fabulous!

{image source: Pinterest}

Monday Musings - school holiday fun!

Since I work fulltime and am only allocated 4 weeks of annual leave per year, I am a tad short in leave to enjoy the full 13 weeks of school holidays off (I wish!). Having 2 weeks off is a real luxury that I don’t take for granted. These holidays have been full of sleep-ins, pj days, a week of no agenda, baking and quality time with my Little Man. And boy it has been BLISS!

Here is my week in photos.

Strawberries from The Lettuce Shop. Yes they were delivered to my front door.

Teeny tiny grapes in the Swan Valley.

My niece. Just adorable.

My pooch. He is loving having us at home more.

And the following shots are from Instagram.

The Royal Show. Awesome day spent with my sister in law and Little Man's cousins.

This beautiful sky presented itself as I sat at our local park watching the boys play. I wish I'd had my Canon with me.

My husband's old Pentax. It's so pretty.

Tough gig.

Caramel slice made by my niece. I love it when the cousins come for sleep-overs.

MINE!

Bubbles of bliss... no Mondayitis - it’s amazing how much sweeter Sunday is knowing I don’t have work on Monday morning. cousins sleeping over - a house full of 4 kids *love*. watching my nephew play footy. buying a whipper snipper. seeing my final copy of my first newsletter (my writing job) arrive by email. midweek movie nights. doing the laundry by noon on a Monday (how novel!). getting shout-outs from Veggie Mama and A baby called Max. stumbling across the blog of Finnish artist Liivia Sirola - her ethereal photos take me to another world - I am in love!

Make your week wonderful!

Monday Musings - My weekend in Instagram

I love Instagram. I am truly inspired by some of the images that get posted and I love finding out how people use various iPhone apps to tweak their images prior to uploading onto Instagram. As you may be aware I have been nagging asking my husband for a decent camera for months. This weekend he bought me one for our anniversary (LOVE HIM). I cannot wait to take it out to play. Until then, here is my weekend in Instagram.

We had our anniversary dinner at one of our favourite restaurants in Chinatown. The restaurant is called Billy Lees. It isn't flash and it isn't fancy but it is famous for its amazing food. This dish is prawns in salted egg yolk batter. One of my favourites.

Here she is. How pretty is she! I will be taking her out to play next weekend. I am so excited!

My Saturday lunchtime ritual.  

I found some adorable pretty pink frilly shoes.  

We celebrated my sister-in-law's 30th birthday yesterday. The birthday girl wore a black lace frock from Wheels & Dollbaby and we cruised through the Swan Valley in a pink hummer limo. As you do.

Sandalford Winery. Guess where my Canon will be going for a run? 

Bubbles of bliss... spending the day at school sports carnival. my wedding anniversary (11 wonderful years). dining out with my hubby. Big Momma's House movie night with my Little Man. landing my very first writing job. getting my mitts on a DSLR. a day out in the Swan Valley with family. knitting.

Make your Monday fabulous! 

Monday Musings - the weekend Mum came to town

This weekend was super special as my beloved Mother came to town. My Mum moved up north after retiring a couple of years ago. Although I was full of sheer sadness for myself that she would no longer be a mere 20 minute drive away, I was truly happy she was doing something she really wanted to do, for her. She has spent a good few decades running around after me, time for her now.

I got a visit from my Mum on Sunday. She brought along silk scarves she has been dying (she is a talented little artist my Mum) and I promptly lifted 3 of them. Aren’t they just gorgeous!

She also brought with her my grandmother’s Finnish cookbooks. How lovely! This book was published in 1951.

I love that my grandmother carted stuff all the way from Finland when she migrated to Australia. I was smiling all day that I got this book, I just love it. Mum also gave me a cookbook that belonged to her, I remember seeing it frequently as a kid. I have a lot of Finnish recipes to try out now! I hope they don’t get lost in translation.

Little bubbles of bliss... seeing Mum – always pure joy. seeing my son hug his Mummi. homemade lime tart. Finnish cookbooks. swimming. having grammar corrected by my son. this blog (a Scandinavian foodie? I'm there!). fresh flowers. rain. Instagram - there are some talented people out there.

Make your Monday great people!

Peggy

Monday Musings - Greenspiration!

The spring weather is amazing right now! The sun could not shine brighter if it tried. And the sky, so, so blue. I might harp on a bit about how much I love the warmer months, and especially now that spring is showing off. When it is cooler I find myself gazing at images that depict the warmer months – the beach, the outdoors, sunshine. So it’s no surprise I found these images an inspiration today with the spring weather upon us. I am a big fan of green; it may possibly be my next favourite colour after pink. I am sharing these beautiful images as an ode to spring. And to my Mum. If she were a season, she would be my spring.

Little bubbles of bliss... SUNSHINE. garden love. supporting Cate Bolt on twitter with her Project 18 mission (I LOVE this lady!). my Sunday Finnish bake-fest (3 types of pulla buns, recipes to follow soon). this awesome foodie blog, his photos are truly inspiring. the blog of this old soul; you may want to follow her on her journey to enlightenment ~ guaranteed teachings, laughs and maybe even tears. a Sunday stroll. fresh flowers that fill the house with lily scent. hubby's famous grilled whole fish (it's our Sunday roast). And of course, love and laughter with my boys.

If you have not yet voted for Cate Bolt’s dream for a sustainable industry providing education and hope to the people of Ringdikit Bali, please do so here. It will take you all of 3 minutes, I promise. And costs nothing. Cate has done the legwork, now she needs our help to make it happen. And please, spread the word.

Enjoy your green spring days!

Peggy

{Image source: Pinterest}