Things are happening

The Tender Centre - warehouse of second-hand dreams

Things are happening lately. Mostly wedding things, but it's strange to be busy. My normal days involve work, cooking dinner, tv, maybe internet, sleep. Then repeat. Weekends are for housework and rare visits to the shops or library. Though none of these busy things are worth individually blogging about (except some of the wedding stuff, keep an eye on Surely a Bride in the next few days), they are worth mentioning.


In the past few weeks I have:

- had to say goodbye via Twitter to my dear friend B, who went back to the UK after a month's visit to her native land

- been to my parents' farm twice

- attended a scrapbooking day (bliss! And I won first prize, a new album!)

- bought my wedding dress

- sorted out our final wedding guest list (ANGST)

- made and posted invitations

- shopped for and bought a suit for C

- gotten wholly addicted to the Song of Ice and Fire book series (again)

- been to the movies (The Muppets)

- won two tenders at Tender Centre (in Toowoomba, as I always get questions about where this marvellous, wonderful place is. I won a French market basket and a huge framed botanical print)

and...

- bought "shapewear" for the first time in my life. I understand it is also known as Spanx or Nancy Ganz.


On that point - seriously, women wear this stuff frequently? I bought it to go under my wedding dress (to pull in my little tummy and avoid all those embarrassing "Oh is this a shotgun wedding?" remarks. Related: NO I'M NOT PREGNANT). And it is painful. What it does do is hold everything in, which is the point, but I'm not sure how I'm going to breathe in it. Hmm. I'm sure I'll adapt.


So what have you been up to? Do you wear shapewear?

Postal Heart Attack

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This afternoon I had a Postal Heart Attack.

You know it - you're standing over the bin, opening your mail (the best tip EVER, can't even remember where I read it! It was on one of your blogs, I'm sure) and merrily throwing ripped envelopes in when from one emerges a bill that makes you look twice, your eyes focus on the little line that says 'Amount Due'... and then...

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

This occasion saw me charging out the front door to where my beloved other half was attempting to fix my car and demand loudly and at length for all the neighbours to hear how the EFFING EFF we had managed to double our phone bill this month.

After that I had a little cry, C cheered me up by reminding me we always manage to sort these things out, I had a shower and then looked at the bill again when I felt stronger.

I urge you all to learn from my lesson - NEVER go over your mobile data cap, if you have one. The excess charges won't be pretty. They will be excessive. And there's nothing you can do about it, because they give you fair warning.

Sigh.

New Year

It's 2012. That's kind of mind-blowing to me when I think about it. The new year is so fresh if it was bed sheets I'd be snuggling into it sniffing the pillow cases. But then again it's just another day - why should an arbitrary calendar date change one's perspective?

I've been doing a lot of travelling this last week. We drove to Townsville to see C's parents for 5 days then drove back. I drove myself to the farm to see my parents yesterday and saw in the new year in bed after a few drinks on the patio. I'm not really a big fan of making a big fuss about the changing of the calendar, and I realised last night that some of my dislike of new year celebrations are a hangover from when I was single and used to experience That Awkward Moment When You Have Nobody to Kiss At Midnight OMG.

This year I didn't even get to kiss my beloved anyway, as he was working. I'll give him an extra big one when I see him to make up for it!

I also don't make resolutions. I used to, then realised that goal-setting needs to be a part of my everyday life, so I try to make resolutions to myself throughout the year! Lately these have revolved around finding my passion in life and working on finding a career that makes me happy. I'll let you know how that one goes!

This week mum and I hope to get a heap of wedding-related stuff achieved, so there might even be a blogpost upcoming for Surely A Bride. We'll see.

How is your holiday season going?

Holiday Road

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I've had the song from National Lampoon's Vacation running through my head all day. You know the one. It goes "Holiday roooooooooooaaaaaad, holiday roooooooaaaaaaaad!" I'm sure it's now stuck in your head too. You're welcome.

Last night was the night we should have started packing the truck for our Christmas roadtrip. We managed to collect all of the stuff from our friends' house that belongs to C's parents - boxes of their knick-knacks that we have been asked to take north. Today C will be playing a big game of Tetris with these boxes, our luggage and various other items like Xmas presents, trying to fit them into the truck.

At least the trip soundtrack is sorted out. I gave some monies to Apple and now have a lovely current chart playlist to crank up, plus have burned about 20 of our other CDs onto iTunes. C has obtained the technology to wirelessly transmit our iPod/iPhone music into the car radio and through the subs. Fun.

This morning I have been trying to think of more domestic things that need taking care of (besides packing our clothes). Twitter has agreed I should change the bed to fresh sheets before we go, so I can come back to that lovely fresh-sheet feeling. I also vaguely recall someone telling me that you should put plugs in your sinks when you go away, fill them with water and put your pot plants in. This also prevents spiders and ants from crawling up your drains. I cannot find a single thing about the spider/ant thing on google though, maybe it is an urban myth?

In my googling I also came across a lot of home security tips for those going on holidays. There was some really good advice that I would never have thought of myself, such as this link from the NSW Dept of Justice called "What to Consider When You Are Going on Holidays".

Some things regarding home security are quite obvious - lock your doors and windows. Others are not things I would have thought of on my own! My fave tips from this document are below.

• Use timers to automatically switch on lights and radios while you are away.




• Turn down the volume on your telephone ringer and don’t leave a message on your answering machine
  that tells callers you are away.




• Hang some old clothes on the washing line and leave a pair of old shoes outside the front door to give your house a lived in look.




• Do not post your holiday plans online (whoops!)




• Mow the lawn and water the plants so the house doesn’t look empty.




• Remove items that can be climbed to access second storey balconies and windows.




• Put away all tools and other items that could be stolen or used to gain access to your property.




• Conceal valuables such as laptops and jewellery so they are not visible from the outside. (I'll be putting everything in the safe)




• Check if your local police offer a patrol service for unoccupied residences

Do you have any tips for home security or peace of mind while you're away on holiday? Feel free to share!

A post about presents that ended up being about dessert

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Yesterday on Twitter I confessed that I had not bought a single Christmas present. I was reassured by some that they, too, had not gotten started.

I had grand intentions this year of starting in months, doing everything online and effectively eliminating the stress of the entire epic saga that is Buying Presents. It was not to be.

I think my problem is that I am a champion procrastinator, plus I totally over-think things (see previous posts about my Christmas Crisis).

I am happy to report, however, that yesterday I bought two gifts! And my darling other half has volunteered to get his mother's present, the one that really has me stumped. So what am I buying for everyone else this year?

Gift cards.

I know. I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. Cop-out. But I just don't care any more. I'd rather concentrate on the food and drink, actually.

I want to make a gorgeous dessert but can't decide between trifle, tiramisu and cassata. Oh my goodness. Here's some recipes I've been eyeing off...

Mixed berry trifle

Nigella's Irish Cream tiramisu

Cassata Gelata

Actually I just remembered my mother has an amazing recipe for cassata. I must steal it.

What's your favourite dessert at Xmas?

Piquing my Pinterest - Men

Disclaimer: This post is shameless eye-candy. If you're looking for a pretty post though, you've found it. It's just not about interior decorating or crafting :)

This week I was admiring some black and white photography on Pinterest and it got me thinking about how everyone looks somehow better, more arty, in monochrome.

I decided to search for some of my fave actors and boy, did I come up with a few corkers! Here are some of the men I most admire on film, for your viewing pleasure. No drooling, please.

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Oh gawd, Ryan Reynolds, why did you have to bite your thumb? Funny AND cute, plus a body to write home about. What more can a lady ask?

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Of course he'll always be Mr Darcy, but Colin Firth is just lovely, good looking and an amazing actor in his own right. Another Love Actually alumni, his storyline in that film is my favourite.

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Matthew Macfadyen - the OTHER Mr Darcy. And my favourite of the two. He broods even better than Firth in my humble opinion.

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Aussie boy made good - Eric Bana. Australians can still remember him on Fast Forward doing skits as Ray Martin and Poita, but foreigners don't believe us when we tell them he's a goddamn piss-funny comedian. I wish he would do more comedy films. Oh, and if you get the chance, check out the movie he made himself - Love the Beast. Even if you're not into cars, it's pretty good.

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My love for Ewan McGregor goes back many, many years and knows no bounds. He's fond of getting his kit off on-film too.

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Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds. I just. I don't even know. He's just so goddamn cute. Helps that his character is crazy intelligent too. Nothing as sexy as a smart brain.

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Have you seenBenedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock yet? I was a latecomer to the series but was suitably blown away. If I could recommend you only two things to watch this year it would be Game of Thrones and this guy in Sherlock. He's mesmerising onscreen.

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And what would Sherlock be without Dr Watson? But I've been a fan of Martin Freeman since The Office. My fave of his is Love Actually.

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Oh Nathan Fillion. A man who could photobomb for the Olympics and whose crooked smile makes me melt. And he can do dramatic too. If you could watch him in one thing, I recommend the episode Shindig from Firefly.

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I'm not even going to say anything about Johnny Depp. Just enjoy.

Linking up with tinagray.me:

Sun and Rain

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I’m beginning to believe that I run on solar energy. When there’s no sun, like today, I feel drained and lethargic. I feel like staying in bed under the covers and just daydreaming the daylight (or more accurately, murklight) hours away.

This morning I woke to the sound of rain on the roof – good, steady rain of the sort that we need. The garden and lawns have been crying out for some moisture for some months now. The sky was grey and has remained so all day. Sitting in my little office block, I am periodically peeking out the window, hoping for a patch of blue. But the sky remains steadfastly dark and forbidding. I have a good view across the Brisbane River and south towards Logan, and I can’t even see the suburbs today for the mist of rainclouds.

My mood is as gloomy as the weather. I know I should be grateful for the life-giving water and the wonderful greening effect it will have on my lawn, but I can’t help it – I just crave the sun. Sunlight warms my bones, recharges my spirit. Sun is life just as much as water is, and a hot summer’s day reminds me of my childhood and holidays at the Gold Coast filled with sand, the ocean, ice cream and afternoon naps.

Sometimes on a hot day when I’ve been sitting shivering in my (too old, never working properly) office air-conditioning for a few hours, I escape. I burst out of the elevators and propel myself forth, out onto the concrete footpath and into the light. I immediately feel better. I love feeling the warmth seeping up from the concrete below my feet, and basking in the sun’s rays shining down from above. My feet will inevitably take me to the nearest corner store, to get a cold iced tea or frozen slushie to enjoy back at my desk.

With the weather forecast predicting quite a few days of rain, I also have this strange sense of foreboding that I’m finding hard to shake. It’s this vague feeling of dread that when I really examine, I have to admit to myself is related to the Big Wet. The January Floods left an indelible mark on our state, and my brain is trying to remind me that all started like this. With the rain. The unrelenting, unforgiving, never-ending rain. It rained in December and out West flooded. It stopped for a few days over New Year but then it started raining again with a vengeance. And it didn’t stop for two weeks. What happened after was just so terrible, it must not, CANNOT happen again.

Here’s hoping it won’t rain like that again this year. Here’s hoping the sun will come out again soon and we have one of those long, hot summers that I remember from my childhood. Besides, I want to swim in my pool… and eat ice cream… and go to the beach… and nap in the afternoon…