The man chair - do you know it?

Hi Dolls,

This week has been so cold and I've had the heater blasting non-stop. I'm not looking forward to our gas and electricity bills that's for sure.

Our tax money has finally appeared in our account so I can now officially shop - delighted! I went shopping with my husband the other day and it really is a totally different experience when you are shopping with the boys. I don't want to generalise, but most guys, when they shop are on a mission. They know what they want and they just go in and get it. No browsing, no window shopping and no thinking about it. They go in, try a heap of stuff on if your lucky (sometimes they don't try it on and make you take it back another time because it's not right) and spend the big bucks all at once. I end up layering mountains of clothes in my husbands arms with things I think he would like, things I like and things I think would look great but not sure if he would actually go for but am trying to push my luck anyway. They never believe that some things look better on compared to just on the rack. It is actually a bit exciting shopping this way. They don't just pick up a top or a pair of shoes every few weeks, they get the works and get it done once, maybe twice a year. You can tell when they have been dragged along by their partners and are not shopping for themselves. They are sulking and sitting on what I like to call the 'man chair'. You know the one, it's the lone chair just outside the change rooms where the girls leave their shopping companions to sit and wait patiently while they try on a million things and come out for a suitably flattering statement about what they have tried on. Let's face it, we never come out with something that we don't actually like, those things we just call out and say that it just didn't fit right, not the truth where it actually didn't fit at all. God forbid we ask the boys to get us the next size up! So shopping with my husband wasn't too bad after all and he picked up some jeans, a couple of T-shirts, a hoodie and a jacket. He looked very spunky in all his new gear.

I went shopping with my Mum yesterday and we wondered into Williams where I discovered the boots I got last week come in tan! They also had 50% off the second pair of shoes and I could not leave without this other pair as well. The best part was that my Mum shouted them for me as an early birthday present. I know my birthday isn't until the end of September, but they are going on holidays for over a month and won't be here for my birthday so I get to have them now! I love my birthday! The tan pair were $140 and the other pair were $70 discounted to $50 with 50% off. So I ended up getting them for just $25!

                     

During my shopping adventures I obviously had to visit the baby change areas. I have been to quite a few now in the three-and-a-half months Piper has been around. I know the nice ones in each of the shopping centres and which ones to avoid. Unfortunately you can't always avoid the weird people who frequent them. Of course I have met some lovely people there, it's just what you do when you are changing and feeding your baby. You chat to the other Mums, friends, grandparents and siblings. You coo at their babies, ask how old and what their name is and then tell them how adorable they are. You obviously expect this in return! I also see a lot of people with the same pram. I have an apple iCandy. I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone! Whenever this happens we both check out each others pram and and say ooo, do you love it!? The answer is always yes! I have the black one, but you can buy attachments to make it different colours. I reeeealllyyyy want the purple, I hope my husband is reading this and sees how good the purple looks! Hint Hint! There is a LOT of traffic coming in and out of the baby change area. I once saw a line of people wait for the toilet where you can take your pram and the rest of your life in with you for what seemed an age only to discover that it was empty the whole time and it just looked like it was locked. Another time, I saw a women hold her two year old's bottom half under the tap of the sink to wash her. Seriously, I would have given you a wipe if I knew you had run out. Or you could just pay the 2 bucks for a nappy that comes with wipes. I would have been so embarrassed! So note to everyone, best not use the sinks in these places!

We got the new incubus album this week and I have had it playing in the car non-stop. I really like it and can't wait until they come out again. I'm thinking date night with the husband for that one!

I also got stuck  in Lincraft this week. Not literally, but I did spend a lot of time in there sorting through all the fabrics, felts, lace and elastics. I decided to get a bit creative and I made some super cute headbands that go with all of Piper's little outfits. I am really enjoying it too! I will show you what I have been up to in the next few weeks.

No muffin top here!

Hi Dolls,

Last weekend I went to the T'Gallant winery for my sister-in-laws 30th birthday. We had a wonderful time and a really beautiful day. The food was amazing, the wine was fabulous, the company was fantastic, the service was perfect and the venue was spectacular. We started with a wine tasting where I decided that I must chuck a few wine glasses in my purse on the way out, they were gorgeous. Then I found out there was no need as you could purchase them from their cellar door instead. At the wine tasting I tried Pinot Grigio for the first time among many others and it was so yummy. I also had the Mascato and that was devine! I think I could be a wine drinker after all. We then had a delicious two course meal. I had salmon croquettes with beetroot and then braised duck with ricotta and spinach gnocchi. I stuck to the mascato throughout lunch. I must say, I didn't have much drink training in the lead up to this day but I was quite surprised that I didn't actually end up napping under the table after lunch. We all travelled there together in a mini bus so we had no excuse but to 'get on it'!
Check out their website if you are interested - http://www.tgallant.com.au/

Miss Piper had her first case of the sniffles this week, so we spent the first half of the week at home. It's awful when they are sick. There's not much you can do and you would do anything to take on their sickness instead. She has now come good though and this morning she had a playdate with her little friend Miss Indi Winter. These two little besties met through their mummy's at baby birthing classes! They had such a fun time chatting, having lunch and playing together. Both proud mummy's took so many photos that I now can't decide which one to put up on facebook! The one where they are both smiling or the one where they are holding hands or... I can't put them all up... can I? It's hilarious what you do to get a good photo - I'm glad I'm not the only one who dances around trying to get the perfect picture! When they held hands accidentally on purpose we both yelped with excitement. Both babies got such a fright they stopped holding hands before we could get our cameras out!

It's funny the things you think you might need before your baby comes along. I seriously had everything you could think of, but when you actually start using these things you 'had-to-have' you quickly learn that most of them are really not very practical at all. While I was waiting for my little one to come along (sounds a bit nicer that pop out) I searched everywhere for the perfect nappy bag. I stumbled upon a Marc by Marc Jacobs nappy bag on shopbop.com. A bargain at just $200 with free delivery. Obviously I had to have it. I talked my husband around and was very proud of my purchase. BUT... when I actually started using it I realised that it just wasn't very practical. The bag was massive and as it only had smallish handles it would not fit over the handle of my pram. It had to go in the storage part of the pram and basically took up all the room. If you are anything like me and like to shop I found there was no room left to hide all of the shopping bags from my husband... I mean... well anyway. You just don't realise these things aren't practical until you try them out. So I ended up at Target the other day with my husband and saw that all nappy bags had 30% off. I found a gorgeous red canvas one that was $50 (bargain) down to $35 (double bargain). How could I not? It had a long handle that would fit over the handle of my pram and free up room for the rest of my 'bargains' underneath. It had heaps of different compartments, a bottle warmer and even a special place to put the dummy. Imagine my husbands surprise when I told him that we needed one. I spent all that time talking him into the other nappy bag and telling him how great it was and that he could tell everyone he has a Marc Jacobs nappy bag (yeah right) that he could not believe what he was hearing. I told him the Marc Jacobs nappy bag would still be in use and we could still put all the toys and blankets in it for when we go visiting people. Perfect, and it is for it's new function! I don't think my husband is so sure...

So with my new nappy bag and our tax return on its way I managed to get an advance and went shopping! I think I forgot how good shopping actually was and how amazing it felt to actually spend some money.
          I live in thongs. Black havaianas are a wardrobe staple for me, but now that I am a mummy I thought it was time to invest in something that would actually keep my little toes warm. I got these awesome boots from Williams. Devastated I missed the 30% off sale just days before but I loved them, so I forked out the $140 anyway. They are so comfy and actually fit really well. Like so many others, I find it difficult to find a pair of boots that fit nicely around my calves. These are perfect and flat so I can last all day long in them.

I also got a pair of bootleg jeans from Katies

I got a couple of things from Susan as well. They have 50% off the marked sale price at the moment. Do yourselves a favour and get down there. When they do a sale, they do an amazing sale! Katies also have 50% off the marked sale price on some items and I got an awesome bright orange jacket that was $90 down to $20! My husband says that it's a red jacket and it is called tomato red, but I think it looks more orange.

I stumbled across these free Kewpie doll printout labels from My Poppet and thought I would share. They are just too cute! Be sure to check out their FaceBook page. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmypoppet.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fkewpie-labels-free-printable.html&h=RAQC_hRZAAQBb7tXP57P0AeBb7apW4pF58wNiYmNKO9iPkw

By the way, it is national lipstick week this week, so everyone get on board and crack open the red lippy!



Flashback Friday: I Love... My Chanel Handbag

Originally posted on Wordpress - December 21, 2009.

Hi Dolls,

About 6 months ago I jokingly (sort of) asked my husband if I could spend our tax return on a Chanel handbag. He asked me how much they were and when I told him, his reaction wasn’t what I had jokingly hoped for. I told him it was an investment and I could justify this by working it out to $1 per wear. I would only have to wear this handbag every day for the next 8 years and 8 months. Unfortunately this didn’t appear to sway his opinion.
A few months past and we finally got around to lodging our tax return. Saving this money obviously did not cross my mind. A tax return is like free money – as long as you don’t get a bill! So I asked my husband what we were going to buy. He said that he thought I was buying a handbag. You could not imagine my surprise and excitement. I dropped what I was doing and rang the Chanel store immediately to see if my handbag was in stock. It was! I left work early and drove into Collins Street to make my purchase.

I finally arrived and as I walked toward the store I felt like I was on cloud nine. I had a spring in my step and nothing could drag me down from the fashion high I was on. The doorman opened the big glass doors for me and as I stepped inside I thought to myself that this is a lot like what I think heaven might be like! I glided straight towards the counter and introduced myself as the girl who called this morning about THE bag. She looked at me with pity and said she was sorry but they had just sold out. I looked at her in despair. I felt sick. This was the bag I had been dreaming of my whole life and she shattered this dream within two seconds! I felt defeated. I was beyond disappointed. The shop assistant must have realised this and offered me another bag with gold hardware instead of silver. I shook my head. Then she offered me the smaller version of my bag (which was the same price!). I shook my head again. This was not what I had my heart set on and was just not what I wanted. She then offered to call me the minute another bag arrived. I thanked her and walked out the store feeling extremely rejected. I felt so down and the high I was on just minutes ago had completely vanished.

The next day at work I received a call from Chanel to let me know that my bag had come in. The shop assistant advised me to come in straight away as she couldn’t hold the bag for me and also couldn’t guarantee that it would still be there later that day. I couldn’t believe my luck. I ran into my boss and asked if-I-could-go-early-because-my-bag-has-just-turned-up-at-chanel-and-they-won’t-hold-it-for-me-and-it-might-not-be-there-later-and-I-need-to-go-NOW!!!!! As the fashion savvy boss that she is, she immediately understood me and told me to go now! So I did. I called my husband and asked him to collect me immediately. I needed a quick exit from the car when we got to Chanel and could not waste time on ticket parking. He agreed (amazingly) and we were on our way.

We rolled up and I was dropped off in front of the store. I bolted from the car and back into my little piece of heaven. I ran directly to the counter and breathlessly announced that I was here for the bag! The lovely shop assistant smiled at me and asked me to wait there and she would go and get my bag. I beamed back at her and thanked her for all her help. I was finally getting my very own Chanel handbag!!! She returned with my bag and my heart skipped a beat. It was beautiful. I held my breath as I took it in my arms. It was love at first sight. I handed my money over and took a seat while I waited for my new purchase to be wrapped, boxed and ribboned. I felt at home here. Everyone understood the thrill of a new Chanel handbag and were all genuinely excited for me. A few minutes later my bag was returned to me packaged in Chanel’s signature carry bag. My only disappointment today was that I couldn’t show off the carrier bag for longer. I had already kept my husband waiting for quite sometime as we all oohed and ahhed over my new handbag.

I waived goodbye and exchanged air kisses and as I walked out of the store the alarm sounded. I was mortified. I had beeped on my way out of Chanel! I turned around and the doorman asked me to come back in. What had I done?! Thankfully the shop assistant noticed my panick and told me not to worry. She apologised and told me that it was her mistake and she hadn’t removed all the tags from inside the bag. She took my carrier bag away and returned it to me a few minutes later. So I went to leave again. The doors opened and to my relief the alarm remained silent.
I cuddled my carrier bag in the car all the way home. When we returned I de-ribboned, unwrapped and unboxed my gorgeous new handbag. The italian leather smelt amazing as I gently removed the dust bag that revealed the Chanel Large Shopping Tote. My handbag was magnificent and more than I could have ever wanted. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world and I suppose I am!