Time to stop and smell the roses

This is my new mantra...I am embracing each line on a daily basis

My week thus far has been relatively productive, feeling that the Melbourne weather may have helped pull me out from hibernation. On Monday I indulged in a pedicure with S and had a great gossip session it was so nice to catch up, I think we are both on the same page with Asian pedi salons, you get what you pay for. We have both been cursed with nail infections from these places so my approach this summer will be to BYO my own pedi tools. I have been in love with a couple of nail polishes she has recently purchased the Chanel- Blue Rebel and the OPI- Berlin There Done That, and was thrilled that she bought them with her for me to use, sweet girl.

On Tuesday I stayed focused and did the Ripped in 30 workout DVD, at the 20 minute mark I was gasping for air, so it was either a very difficult workout program or I am very unfit, I think the latter. I also managed to squeeze in a couple of visits from my girlfriends. I haven't seen Angie L for ages so we headed to Alice in Napier street for a coffee, the weather was beautiful and perfect to enjoy our coffee outside and catch up on the wedding plans and the jewelry business.

Upon returning I received a call from AS and we headed to Zaatar's on Sydney Road, my first visit to the iconic Brunswick location for Middle Easter food. For those that haven't been its actually situated at the old Zorbas restaurant in Coburg. I am so glad it was replaced, as this place is sensational and for $8.50 the food is fresh and worth more the money we spent. We ordered the Mezze plate and mixed the items. The fit out is modern, cozy and inviting. The food was a great and we didn't leave feeling overly bloated but very satisfied.
What I really liked about Zaatar's is the large selection of healthy food and the marriage of traditional recipes with the funky urban decor.

I headed off to do some grocery shopping as my fridge was empty I decided to do a quick tidy up and then head out for a nice walk as the day was a sunny 23 degrees, so glad I did, these were a few things I found on my journey, I love cherry blossoms, I use to have one at the front nature strip until the council removed it. It was so nice to just stop and smell the roses.

On Wednesday I decided to a huge Spring Clean and de clutter my space, I lined up all the shoes I owned and was shocked when I saw how many shoes I own, seriously a joke, I assessed each pair and decided to get rid off all the shoes that cause me blisters, that are beyond repair and the shoes that were bought a size to big and the pair I purchased in Singapore where the lady gave me mis-matched sizes, I mean really, I have worn them once and was trying to hold one foot in the shoe and the other foot was cramped in the shoe like no tomorrow. Admittedly there are shoes that date back at least 10 years.

For all my hard work I treated myself to some costume jewelry at Collette, they had a 50% off sale and I picked up all these little babies for under $35, I think that will just about do it for summer.

... and finally because I have not been able to get the dam nail polish out of my mind, I headed to Oz Nail Supply in Braybrook and purchased the Berlin colour for $13, the best place to stock up on OPI and other nail products. Spent the evening repainting the tips, pretty pleased with my efforts they usually end up looking dodgy, but it seems that I am getting better at colouring in the lines.

Also spoke to a student adviser today on the course I am doing, just waiting to see how many units I
am eligible for exception and will fill you in on the exact course, I am super excited on the next adventure.

Ok enough said....ciao Babs

Spring has sprung!

Spring is here People. Have your started your Spring Cleaning yet? Revamped your wardrobe? Doing anything special to celebrate? Tell Me Everything. 
I started taking pictures of everything in my wardrobe and using an app that groups everything and lets you create outfits with your own clothing. So far it pretty good but need to work out what background to use on certain items. Will do a review on it shortly. Anything that doesn't make it to the photo roll has been donated. This is a good opportunity to get some order in my clothing and life.

Sunny Melbourne Afernoon

It seems that Melbourne weather did not fail to disappoint this week. This weekend was also amazing and to enjoy the beautiful weather we headed Southgate market and also enjoyed some Mexican food.

On our way home I stopped and made a little purchase, being without a car and the weather getting warmer I think this lady will be put to good use, I absolutely am in love. Anyone looking for a great bike head to Reid bikes in North Melbourne, my vintage bike was a fraction of the price most retailers advertise and this is a six speed bike also and the basket is super cute. My bike is actually a little more custom and will come with a brown saddle and handles.

Southgate market and my new retro bike

Happy fathers day to all the dads also, we had a nice brekky for my father in law this morning but my old man is living it up on the Greek islands so he only received a phone call this year.


Happy Spring time

Xo Babs

Quilt over Obsession: Tribal Aura by Tracy Ellis

To celebrate the first day of Spring I changed the sheets, granted this quilt cover seems a little more wintery in colours it was still however nice to have a fresh look in the bedroom. Yes the quilt craze continues, there are heaps more to share. Is it wrong to have flannel sheets on the bed? I freeze at night until Melbourne has some consistent weather they are staying put.

Tribal by Aura by Tracy Ellis

xo Babs

Devoured Fifty Shades?...

In passing at Big W yesterday I lined up all the books that were strategically placed with the fifty shades trilogy. Along with the recommendations I have mentioned in previous posts here are a few more titles which may be of interest to you. Happy reading!

My Week of Serendipity

Well it seems that I have finally embraced this opportunity to enjoy a career break, I have had an amazing week, partially because its been structured and also because I am able to be spontaneous in the things I do on a day to day basis. Its so great to make plans on the fly rather than booking them weeks in advance, this often only works with friends who are also either unemployed, on maternity leave or who don't work weekdays.

The week began visiting my cute little cousin Oskar who turned 5 on Wednesday, he is such an adorable young man and so much personality for a five year old. I purchased him a character toy from Toy Story: Mr Prickle Pants. Oskar has built a gorgeous collection of these toys over the years so I thought I would add a character to his bookshelf. I always seem to struggle with kids gift, I know they have so many toys and clothes, but really what else can you buy? books perhaps? Anyway it was nice to catch up with the entire family as its been a while.

Have I also mentioned that DH has a major collector problem? He loves anything to do with Pixar, and has all the DVDs and the Toy Story figurine collection in our study. Whilst on my visit to Target I added a few items to his collection and surprised him on Tuesday. He received Mr Prickle Pants and Dolly which is part of Wave 3 in the Toy Story Collection series, (i know way to much about this stuff) as well as the Pixar short films DVD. He was so excited. I am looking at purchasing him a limited edition print for his 30th Birthday but so far I am not loving the postage costs, so may not eventuate.

I managed a quick catch up with my gorgeous girlfriends at Pacos Tacos, I have been dying to try this place and it seemed that the Melbourne weather gods were smiling on us that day, the sun was shining and I was finally able to pull out my coral jacket and slap on a pair of jeans and enjoy a good catch up with the girls. I had the $6 Beef Taco, a glass of Sangria and shared Nachos....SOOOOO GOOD. Will definitely be going there again it could be a new favourite. I miss working with TT and Sneezy and at a point over lunch I did forget that I would be heading home and not into the office.

I made my way down T&Co afterward to pick up my charm bracelet which is currently in the repair shop to add a charm I bought a few months ago,and disappointed that it was still not back, they are pretty strict on the turnaround times (I was only a day early dam-it), on a positive the Manager asked me if I wanted a casual job. What do you think? Its such a major deviation from the corporate world and everything I have been doing but perhaps this is exactly what I need, a little part time job in retail, and the discounts would make up for the pay, although I have a feeling that everything I would be earning would be spent on buying jewellery.

This week has been a week of reflection not only on the few weeks that I have had off work but also on where and what I want to really do with my life moving forward. I find myself completely petrified for the first time, on what lies ahead and what the future looks like. I am a born planner almost obsessive compulsive about having this scheduled and mapped out. It seem however I am nervous to make a decision on anything, whether it about looking for work, entering the corporate arena, starting my own business, travel, or simply just doing nothing. My counsellor has given me permission to do nothing and enjoy the time off, but there are times where I feel so guilty about it. So I have decided to find the middle ground and fill my days with tasks and projects which somewhat validate and make me feel slightly useful and not too bad on the fact that I am unemployed.

My Week of Serendipity

I also have started home workouts this week, after doing a few classes at my local gym I think I am no longer inclined to be in stuck in four walls, and with spring around the corner I am going to make the most of it and get out there a do some walking. I started on Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD it had over 3000 positive reviews on Amazon so it had to be good. Gosh, she is one bad-ass, seriously was worth purchasing the DVD (or loaning it from my cuz) 60 minutes of intense cardio, strength and abs, I am only day 3 into it but seriously been feeling some pain so hopefully I see some results.

I think I may have done something completely crazy, I purchased a dress that barely fits me...I know before you say anything hear me out. One it was heavily reduced, secondly it had AMAZING lines and was so flattering, even if I was 2 cm from zipping it up. Thirdly I saved $1700, thats just crazy. By the way I would NEVER pay that much for a dress, I mean my wedding dress was cheaper than this dress at full rrp, but Myer has a designer sale and has 75% of the marked price. With so many weddings around the corner I am looking for some classic dresses and who can really resist a LBD at that price.

My hubby also surprised me by bringing home the September issue of US Vogue, seriously that is one heavy magazine just under 2kg. How insane, I have started going through it but its not something that you can enjoy at a coffee shop, its so god dam heavy to lug around so for now I enjoy it at home.

Giuliana & Bill finally welcome a baby boy

I am beyond thrilled for Giuliana and Bill, as they finally welcome a baby Boy Edward via gestational carrier, I have been watching the reality show for years on Style via foxtel (one that actually I can stand) and their story is amazing, inspiring and full of hope (now thats what I call "reality"). Not only are they an absolutely adorable couple but they seem so humble and grateful for everything. There hasn't been an episode that I have watched which hasn't led me to ball my eyes out. DH often springs me mid episode with a blanket and box of tissues. Good on them for sharing such personal journey, no doubt it has helped many not only going through infertility hardship but also those fighting the way through cancer. They are such an inspiring couple and it seems that they are finally blessed and can now enjoy the precious bundle of joy. What an amazing story they have to tell their son someday. Seriously I am welling up just typing this....gosh I am such a sook, what happened to me? I cant wait to see the pics of the baby.

Hope everyone is having a great week so far, watch out for my blog on my junk room transformation, you will be surprised, I am still waiting for a few more furniture items, so yet to take the after pictures. Also I am going to put some pics up on how the "O" works as a few have of you been asking what the heck it does. I am loving it, I wish my hair was longer though.

Adios Amigos

KB

xoxo

Getting ready for summer

Everywhere I turn I keep spotting this sandal, I have been trolling through a number of fashion blogs and I keep spotting this cute shoe.  So I did a little research and found the most popular sandal of the summer (US summer that is) is called the DV By Dolce Vita Archer and retails for about $70 US.

I like how they work with just about every look, these shoes are gorgeous,  the gold on the t-strap make it fell truly opulent, they are beautiful in every single colour. Its a simple style, but the touch of metal kicks the look up a couple of notches.

I tried ordering these from the US a few months back, but it was a rather difficult task, either sold out or the stores didn't ship to Australia. I am still on the look out for these so if anyone figures out how I can get my hands on a pair let me know.

Imagine my surprise today when I spotted a very familiar looking shoe in the latest Target catalogue. I am thinking of buying the black and the green pair, $20 does seem like a bargain and with summer not to far away I think these sandals may be a good purchase for a fraction of the DV ones. This may just have to be the substitute for the original Archers, there are a few differences which you would expect, for instance the gold bar at the front is not there with the target version and I would imagine the place of manufacture might differ also.



Anyways another random post about very little.

Babs

Quilt cover obsession: Yellow & Grey flower burst

I don't recall the exact name of this Sheridan quilt cover, what I do know is that I bought it for a ridiculously cheap price I am talking $53 dollars. I am a Sheridan member and that makes sense given I have a problem with purchasing quilts (refer to my previous posts). This was heavily reduced and with shipping only costing $6 it was logical to place a call to the outlet store and get them to ship it out.

Anyway here it is, I have a severe obsession with yellow and grey atm, I love the colour combo, it brightens up my day.

Yes, I know another random post, but that me...random.

KB

A day of fun! Mornington Peninsula, Dark Knight Rises & Mama Baba

Its been sometime since I had a entire day with the hubby so we managed to really back in everything in one day. We woke very early to head down to Mornington Peninsula (6am thank-you!) for a drive down to the beach house, we ended up spending the afternoon there and enjoyed a nice breakfast at a local cafe then some massages and then to kill some time we ended up watching the Dark Knight rises at Rosebud cinemas.
The cinemas were nice and cosy, I think we were one of four people in the theatre. I have to say this movie exceeded my expectations, in fact I really didn't have any so maybe that is why I was so impressed. I thought this movie was amazing, for a boy film; I loved the effects, the story, the actors, everything was great so a 9/10 for the movie. I am more of a romance movie chick so thats why it didn't get the full 10/10

I felt very inspired by the Dark Knight and decided that the wintering Melbourne evening was perfect for cape wearing. So pulling the cape I bought last month and wearing my super high heels we made our way out for the evening to enjoy a bite to eat with some friends. We had late dinner reservations at Mama Babas, we found this obscurely tucked away restaurant and I instantly fell in love with the rustic warehouse dining space and the funky tunes coming from the dj tucked away in the corner of the bar. This place is super cool, reminds me of some of the restaurants that you find at Meatpackers district in NYC.

The cuisine concept is based on being part Greek/Italian cuisine, which seemed fitting because the couple joining us were Italian and hubby and I are of greek background. The Mama being the Greek part of the menu and the Baba being Italian cuisine. The menu is loaded with pasta which suited me just fine.

We waited at the bar for a few minutes and ordered some Olympic themed cocktails, I ordered the "Asia" I cant remember what was in it but the Lychee sold it for me. After having a brief conversation with George Calombaris, actually using my "elevator pitch" and asking him for a job and reminiscing on a time that we worked together about 8 years ago, he was lovely and for someone with so many things on the go had time for a quick chat. George resumed his duties clearing table, which goes to show that this is one hard working man.

We all decided to go with the "let us feed you" option for $55 each which combined a mixture of some chefs favourites on the menu. It seemed the easiest option and we got to taste 14 different food items on the menu across the snack, entree, main and dessert sections. It takes away the hassle and stress of thinking what to order and the food keeps flowing from the kitchen.

Okay from memory this is what we ate

Snacks
- Parma (loved them)
- Proscutto marinated in honey

Entree
- Ricotta in byzantine vinaigrette (loved it)
- Smoked tuna
- Beef carpaccio

Salad
- Fennel Orange, spring onion
- Pea: mint, ricotta

Pasta
- Tortellini: Prawn Saganaki, tomato feta
- Makaronia: White balsamic braised lamb, chestnuts, oregano

Mains
- Mulloway fish: parsnip puree, dutch carrot, wasabi lettuce
- Beef Cheek
- Polenta side

Dessert
- The Italian mess
- Cinnamon bomboloni with nutella


Not to bad for $55 a head, the portions where small, but we didnt leave there starving, some dishes were more of a hit than others, my favourite was the balsamic ricotta, the lamb makoronia, the beef cheek and the cinnamon bomboloni. I asked the table for a score and we all agreed on a 7/10, the let down was the portion size and the speed out of the kitchen, we were still eating 3 hours into our seating, which is fine if your not in a hurry.

Anyway get out there if your looking for a cool spot to go to, the music is crazy and the ambience is worth a visit.

Enjoying life
KB

Casa de Babs pasta making class

Most of you know that I finished up from my day job a week ago so in the quest for self discovery, I have been getting more and more in touch with my creative side. As part of this I managed to convince my good friend Allira to come and join me in a day of making pasta.

Armed with her Empire Red Kitchen Aid, which was a gift from her work colleagues (after convincing her that this was a staple for her kitchen) we set our little ladies on the bench top with the pasta attachments.What I thought would be a fun day in creating pasta and gossiping led to 6 different pasta types. Ricotta Ravioli, Spinach Fettucini, Spaghetti, Lasagna Sheets, Rigatoni and Spiral pasta.

Allira managed to capture a few images of the pasta once we had spent a few hours going through the pasta. If anyone loves homemade pasta the kitchen aid attachments are amazing, they are stainless steel and extremely durable, after years of use my pistachio lady is in desperate need of a service up against Allira's mixer she didn't sound so good, I have to make sure I drop her off a week were I am not going to use her

Saturday Night: Meatballs with Tomato Risoni

I am on mission to start using the items in my pantry and kitchen to before they expire or wilt, not only because I am now unemployed and need to be more thrifty but because its simply a waste. Before I could blame it on a busy schedule but now that I am a lady of luxury I have plenty of time to plan out meals, with that in mind, I decided that I would cook a favourite; meatballs.

This is a adaption of a recipe that I found on the back of a packet of stock but also discovered the recipe online. Enjoy!

Needless to say both my husband and Dad were absolutely thrilled with the meal. also makes for a great meal the next day. One word of advice risoni always tastes best warm so you may need to zap it.

TOMATO RISONI MEATBALLS

PREPARATION TIME

20 mins

COOKING TIME

25 mins

SERVING SIZE

4 people

INGREDIENTS

500ml Litre  Stock - Beef

500g beef mince


2 clove garlic, crushed


1 egg, lightly beaten


1 cup dried breadcrumbs

1 tbsp oil


4 tbsp no added salt tomato paste


1/2 tsp rosemary dried or fresh


1 1/2 cups risoni pasta


2 ripe tomatoes, diced


chopped parsley


Shaved parmesan, to serve

DIRECTIONS

Combine 1/2 cup stock with mince, garlic, egg, parsley & breadcrumbs. Roll into balls.

Heat oil in a large frypan. Add meatballs & cook until browned all over. Pour over remaining stock, tomato paste & rosemary. Bring to the boil, reduce heat & cook, covered, for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.



Stir in risoni & tomatoes. Cook for 8 mins, uncovered, stirring occasionally, or until pasta is al dente. 
Garnish with parsley & parmesan.