health & fitness right now

Right now, I'm loving:

Body Attack: I attended a class last monday (not the one just passed), and felt totally invigorated and upbeat!

Eliptical trainer: At the gym over the past few weeks I've been training longer and harder. No more am I going to skip cardio... so while my ankle has been still on the mend (I sprained it at soccer about a month ago), I've been using the eliptical trainer. I used to use one of these ages ago and saw results... and again I'm loving it! The combination of strength training (by using a higher level) and cardio - interval training is prooving to be great!

Pilates: I went along to Pilates last night as I just got a cold and I walked away froma  45minute session feeling strong and relaxed. I'm going to make a conscious effort to get to a yoga/pilates class once a week from now on to look after my body and my back especially.

Running: I ran 4km while staying at BF's parents farm on the weekend and it felt great! It took me longer (34minutes) than it usually does to run 6km , but hey - my ankle still isn't 100% (well i don't think anyway). I used my heart rate monitor too, so it was great to see how many calories I burn while running.

Soccer: I play indoor soccer once a week and I LOVE it!! I've been playing with the same group of girls now for around 5 months and they're fantastic! We're finally starting to gel as a team and work together too...

What sport/exercise do you love at the moment?

a touch of spring on a wet spring day...

Today consisted of 

a lovely sleep in. 

a trip to the gym (cardio - treadmill, eliptical machine and rower, followed by my weights program - leg press, squats, lunges, bench press, chin ups, abs etc).

house cleaning.

Lunch with my good friend Vanessa.

Window shopping down Pakington St with Vanessa (we're both poor at the moment!)

A trip to Big W to print photos and buy cute toys for my cute nephew.

Relaxing on the couch.

Noodle Box for dinner and watching the footy.

Today after the gym I decided to dress in something a little different. The spring weather today was overcast and showery, but it didn't stop me wearing a pretty dress!

Cardigan - Valley Girl

Dress - Anthropologie

Tights - Kmart

Shoes - Target

What outfit did you wear today?

thoughts on friendship...

"If someone wants to be part of your life, they'll make an effort to be in it."

One of the biggest things I've learnt over the past couple of years is something to do with friendship. Just the other week I was reading Kaelah's blog post on friendship, and one thing struck me, "I've managed to let go of so many people I was close to in life, but there are those select few that you just can't seem to shake". 

There are just some friends that you can't not think about. Do you know what I mean? 

Life is built in stages. We have preschool and primary school where we learn to play with other kids, have fun, learn to share and play in the playground. We eat birthday cake and have fun. 


As we get older, we split into two groups in primary school - girls and boys... you know because each has their germs and it's yukky to be around the others. We grow and learn and soon we have circles of friends, girls become bitchy, boys rowdy and their cliques that emerge.


Growing up I found myself in the 'in-between' clique - I wasn't overly nerdy, nor was I cool... so my friends and I moulded our own little group. Growing up I had pretty much the same group of girlfriends, meeting new people along the way when we got to highschool (I grew up in a small town you see).


It's in those teenage years you think you'll be friends with these people for life... some do and some don't. I was one of the ones that really thought a solid friendship had been forged that would continue...


You go to college/university and meet new people, new friends and learn so much more about life. You find yourself changing and growing... Over the course of the next few years, as you grow, change and learn so much more you become the person you were meant to be and that means that some friends, some acquaintances you meet along the way don't fit with you...


You have come to accept that this is all a part of life and some friends come and go, and that's ok with you. Because, along the way you really learn who you are and what you value in life. You surround yourself with people who you respect, and who respect you.


But there are also those friends that you just can't seem to shake...

Those friends I mentioned earlier I still think about most days. While I don't speak to them right now (for various reasons I won't mention here), I want to speak to them. I miss them. I really want to pick up the phone and ask how they're going, to email them or facebook message them...


The teenager in me is being me that is stubborn, the other part is being reasonable and sensible and not doing anything because of what happened. But the other part, the part that cares
... my heart... 
is screaming at me to just make that move.


Can things change? Can we move on?


I just can't seem to shake it... this feeling...


It hurts so much.


I love you. If you're reading this you know who you are and I miss you.

springtime...

Spring has sprung...

At least on the neighbors tree!!

These blossoms have sprung in the past few weeks and smell so lovely!

 

Here I am testing out my new camera, Panasonic DMC-FT2 in the backyard! :)

There's definitely something about this time of year, the evenings get a little longer, the sun stays up just a little longer.

The birds sing and neighbors spring blossoms fill their air with their beautiful scent!!

I'm so excited to start wearing less layers, spend more time at the beach and more time outdoors!

What do YOU love about this time of year?

two layouts...

I scrapped a layout last week and over the weekend I finished off a double layout (photos from 2006)!

Here they are!

And the single layout... This is one of my favourite layouts lately! Did a bit of misting, some bunting banner making and pocket journalling - another fav of mine!

Catch you soon!!

Home inspiration: a blank canvas...

This room popped up in my Google Reader from Coco+Kelly today - and I love it.

It's a sneak peek of a room coming out in the premiere issue of Rue Magazine....

What I've never done before though, it broken down WHY I love a certain room...

Here goes...

First, I love that the white walls set the scene. All the furniture blends in (fireplace, dresser, couch, chairs and shelving unit) - but it's the texture that makes them stand out.

I love this lamp, yes it's white, but the texture is what makes it. The rounded shape also adds warmth to an otherwise very 'square' shape room with harsh edges of other furniture. It also links to the white bucket chair to the right.

A low lying shelving unit not only provides storage space for books, magazines etc.. but also sets a 'blank' area for the artwork to hang above. It's unfussy shape and white allow it to blend in, and allows whatever is on/in it to POP!

The artwork, made up of large portraits and other paintings provide a talking point for the room. It's interesting to see random portraits together also.

Lastly, the textural fur look rug in the center of the room provides and area to group items. Here a long ottoman stool (extra seating and also an area for magazines), is grouped with a rounded retro white table at the other end - this also brings the two ends of the room together.

So there you go... why I love this room....

looking forward to...

I am so looking forward to heading off on my first BIG overseas holiday with my boyfriend.

Yep, we've been together for over 5 years and haven't had a real holiday - we're terrible work-a-holics!

And you know where we're headed.... Thailand for two weeks in October!

This is just the break we're after!

We're heading to Chiang Mai:

Phuket:

Krabi:

and Bangok! :)

I'm so excited!

oh my....

Sunday night I watched this....

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

and. bawled. my. eyes. out.

That is all.

Just bawled.

Even the BF stopped washing the dishes to watch this.

So sweet. Tender.

And such a rare 'look' at true love.

Please watch it. 

I found this via A cup of Jo. 

confidence... or a lack of

You know those days when your confidence is boosted by something so small?

And you feel great, excited about life and happy again?

On top of the world.

It's the greatest feeling...

You think you're awesome!

Except when somebody (or something) just shatters it.

You feel useless, dumb and unworthy.

You don't know what you've done wrong, or how you've done it and can't figure it out.

You think over and over again about why it happened,

how it happened,

and how come no one told you "it" earlier.

You confidence goes from sky high to graveyard low.

You don't want to get up and face the day the next day.

Make your coffee and breakfast, and sit at your desk.

What's the point when you're not wanted.

All I want in life is to learn, to grow and develop.

It sucks when people don't nuture that.

Don't want to, don't care...

Tonight I hope to lay my head on the pillow and dream happy dreams and wake up happier than a bird with a french fry.

That's all.

Peace..x

Prawn, Spinach & Basil Risotto

Prawn, Spinach & Basil Risotto

Yum! I've made this before... quite sometime ago and felt like making it again...

So last night I did!

Ingredients:

220 grams green prawns

1 x can (200gm) peeled prawns (this is to make it cheaper)

2 small brown onions

125grams shredded baby spinach leaves

30grams chopped fresh basil leaves (or enough to taste of basil from the tubes you find in the fruit/veg section of supermarket)

330grams aborio rice 

500ml chicken stock

grated parmesan

5 tablespoons of butter

Method

Add enough water to saucepan to boil prawns. Bring to boil, reduce heat and add whole prawns for 2-3mins until bright pink, remove and set aside.

Put around 3 tablespoons of butter into the saucepan, on med-high heat. And diced onions and saute until soft.

Add rice and saute until opaque. Reduce heat to medium and add 180ml of stock to rice and stir until stock is absorbed. Add another 180mls and stir until absorbed, and another 180

Add can of prawns and stir through. Continue adding stock in 180ml batches, adding more every time it has absorbed until only a small amount of stock is left and rice is al dente.

Stir in spinach, basil, a couple of tablespoons of butter, salt & pepper to taste. Add the remaining prawns and serve immediately.

Add parmesan if desired.