this time last year...

I was hanging out with these girls...

getting ready for the "Big Day"

How did that year go by??! What a good, exciting, challenging...and sometimes hard year it has been!

Hello Clare...Hello Mel! I miss you girls! xx

What were you doing this time last year!?

my place or yours....where I sleep

It just happens to be wash day...so all the pillows cases are on the line...hopefully it doesn't rain...and it gets warm enough for them to actually dry!I have had a busy morning shopping for birthday and anniversary presents...kicking my shins on things and posting this...so perhaps it's time for a little afternoon nap! :)

Check out helloowl for more snoozy places!

For Anna!

I was watching Gilmore Girls last night...and started a new season...shameless I know! Season 3 starts off with Lorelai dreaming she is pregnant with twins...I thought of my sister in law Anna...cause she is indeed pregnant with twins! I couldn't actually find a clip where she wakes from the dream...so this will have to do...Congratulations Anna and Luke! xx

You, Us....and a Bus- Flea market finds

Oh My! What a day! My friend Penny me told me about these OP shop tours these two ladies in Adelaide are doing! They charter a bus, you pay some money and they take you around to (depending on how long the tour is) a bunch of OP shops. Usually they have organised with the store beforehand a discount for whatever you buy in their store! It was A LOT of fun! I went to 4 OP shops I had never been to and one I had....AND I actually did pretty well out of it too! :)

 

I finally found a coffee table! Mr T gave me strict instructions to hold off going straight to the bric a brac and go to the furniture section! :) Well I probably didn't go STRAIGHT to the furniture section but hey I still found this little baby...perfect size for our little lounge..AND a STEAL at $15.50! I was stoked....and when MR T saw it he was pretty impressed too! It's a little damaged on the top but it's lovely solid wood and will serve us very well! I also managed to find a lovely jug and cute scarf.

 

This beautiful rug...just  begging to come home with me!

 

I really wish I had a manaquin to give this top justice, it's a pretty full on colour but I was really drawn to it, it is a really nice cut...whether I ever feel bold enough to wear it I'm not sure but I got it anyway!

 

This was the first beauty I picked up and I am really glad I got it! I have a similier jacket in light blue...and I really liked the pocket and arm detail!

I picked up another little knitted top and a skirt, so all in all a very successful day! I almost had to take a breathe when we first started because I was just so excited! It was so awesome being driven around to NEW OP shops and being with friends who were finding gems left right and centre too! They hold tour's every month so if you are in Adelaide and interested let me know. It's a good way to find some new haunts! 

For more treasures head over to Sophies where I am sure you'll find something to drool over!

almost done!

So I have been going swap crazy lately! First it started with pincushions....then aprons...now postcards! Unfortunately I have left it to the last minute and life got crazy!

Sister Jek joined too and had an AWESOME idea...the theme was time...and she went with...Time for Tea! :) Because I was leaving it a bit late...I was almost going to do the same...BUT then I got my swap partner and she is from America...and so they are in...SUMMER TIME!! :)

Hopefully this will be done by tomorrow to post off Friday to make it's way to the states! Fingers crossed...But for now it's BED TIME!!!

It's time to go inside

Dear God, Let us prepare for winter. The sun has turned away from us and the nest of summer hangs broken in the tree. Life slips through our fingers and as darkness gathers, our hands grow cold. It is time to go inside. It is time for reflection and resonance. It is time for contemplation. Let us go inside. Amen

ps I found this picture and prayer in Leunig's book "When I talk to you" while a was preparing a deviotional thought for our school newsletter, I thought I would share it here too. He is a very clever man!

One of my favourite scenes

Today I have...

...Dreamt of overseas trips...and tried to decide when to ask for extended leave from work...some with pay some without

 

I have snuggled on the couch and watched this movie with Mr T...I really enjoyed it! There were a few giggle moments, actually more than a few!

 

I snuggled again underneath the doona and knitted...and watched a few more Gilmore Girl episodes...I can thank Janelle for getting me hooked again! :)

I also took my camera to get some photos developed for our daily click photo project...AND took a film in! I haven't got a film printed in ages, I found the film one the shelf the other day when I was cleaning up. The lady at the store was so nice, they have a policy you pay first, but she offered to wait until it was processed to see if there were photos still on it! I thought that was really sweet!

I also had a good chat with my sister in law, decided to stop reading a book because it was making me act crazy (I have realised I am very easily influenced by the things I read and watch!), saw a friend in the street with her new baby and her cute daughter, ate lots of treats and then ate lots of dinner too...AND above all had a very good talk with my handsome Mr T! I hope you have had a wonderful Saturday too...what did you get up to?

my place or yours...treasures!

arrgh me hearties I have some treasures to show ye!ok enough with the pirate... it's late! Danielle over at helloowl is playing my place or yours again this week and wants to know what our treasures are! I've been slack waiting til Thursday and now it looks like I totally copied my sister in law, but seriously it's what I treasure most! My family! Even though they can drive me nuts at times, and I'm sure I drive them nuts too...they always have my back, they lend me their cars when I need to get to work and T needs the car,  they give me a shoulder to snot on, they make me laugh so hard I make the laugh cry face, they ask to borrow stuff and then don't give it back for so long I forget I owned the item...(OK so that is a bit specific to the mcnick girls!!!)

my handsome 

my McNik sisters

my Spilsbury sisters

the Spilsbury clan!

the ones that gave me life!

This cutie pa toutie....but I let you know that already here...

I also treasure sleep ins, days off, massages, my friends (that i don't always get to see much because we don't all live in the same state...or country...I treasure you ALOT more than you know!)

It's nice to think about the things you treasure...go and have a look at who else is at Helloowl this week playing along!

the envelope project...again

I'm sending of my envelope tomorrow!

I have some scratch and sniff stickers, a little Christmas card, postcards, gift tag, circles and a recipe of home made hot chocolate! 

You can still send a pretty envelope if you like...up until August 1st...have a look at Pip's window so far!

Go on you know you want to join in! :)

Flea Market finds...

There is a cute little Rotary Op shop I go past at least 3 times a week...BUT it closes at 3.30pm and I am always walking past after that time! So I was really happy when I had most of Thursday off, I found myself walking past the Rotary Op shop after going to the gym...at around 10.30am...and looky here it was open! Oh Joy oh Rapture I was thrilled...I was even more thrilled when I found this beautiful tea cup!..yes I know what you are thinking...NOT another tea cup Lauren!

Isn't the edge just lovely! AND what was even better was the ladies who were working there decided to give me a discount because they thought the edge should have had gold one it..like the handle (she used a special word but I can't remember it now!) so that was a bit of a win! There were about 5 or 6 other pretty tea cups siting pretty but I didn't have that much money! I also found a skirt BUT when I got it home realised the zip is cactus...I may have to try and fix it myself...it's a shame because there was a jar full of zips at the op shop too!

Mr T and I went opping yesterday in search for a coffee table, but had no luck, there were a couple at a few of the salvos we went to. I was however a bit sad to find out the golden triangle is no longer a triangle...there are only 2 golden op shops in that area now...not 3! :) BUT gosh the Salvos there did make up for the missing vinnies...there were SO many Enid Blyton books, someone must have had a clean out, and there is always lots of bric a brac there!

What thrifty goodness have you found this week? Head over to Sophies place and check out all the lovely flea market finds!

the envelope project

Pip is a very inspiring lady. She is crafty and I get the feeling she likes others to get into the craft too! One day I would like to meet this wonderful woman, but for now I'm just going to join in with her fun ideas! She has started an envelope project...here are some details...

Send us : A decorated envelope with a few cute little papery or crafty things inside it.  The envelope can be a regular business sized one, or bigger if you like. The things inside should not be expensive.  Recycled or handmade or just extra things you have, which you think someone else might like, would be good.  Make sure you keep your postage cheap, so don't be all extravagant.  Just be cute.  

You might send : photos, pages from magazines, ribbon, swap cards, vintage patterns, notes, shopping lists,  little (lightweight!) zines, sweet wrappers, stickers, really... anything small, light and interesting would be ace. You can show us what you are sending on your own blog : or you can keep it a secret!  It is up to you!

Important : put your return address on the back of the envelope

What we will do : we will display all the cute envelopes in our window.  And we will take all the things out of them and take a photo of what we receive each day.  We will upload that daily image to Flickr. We will keep the project going for six weeks.  At the end of that period we will draw one random envelope : and send that person ALL THE THINGS we received in the mail!  Every single thing.  Sent to that person! Holy aceness!   Hurrah!  No matter where you are in the world!  If you join in, you could win!  This is open to kids and grown ups too.  We like to be inclusive!

So heck I'm going to join in! And you should too! go and have a look at her blog to sign up!

delicious!

Dark Chocolate covered strawberry's from the central markets...

delicious!

Happy Saturday

I love this kid

She is so cute and smart...and taking STEPS!!! 

hanging out with Uncle Tim (Uncle Chop, Chop)

I wish she didn't live so far away so we could see her (and her mummy and daddy!!!!) more often!

all in a day's work

Today I went to work and jumped off a ledge to a trapeze...all in a day's work as a youth worker!

this isn't me...but another teacher on the camp...one of the students got photographic evidence of my jump...but they are still on camp!

flee market finds

Oh I have been rather sad to have missed out on sharing my finds for the past few weeks...that's because I haven't had any...NO TIME FOR OP SHOPPING!!! it's a terrible case of affairs! Well this week the Op shop came to me! Yes the school I work at the year 10's have to do a personal project for the IB (International Baccalaureate Middle years program) One of the year 10 girls chose to collect clothes and have a sale and the money raised donate it to the Haiti relief! What an awesome idea! Yes so she set up shop in one of rooms at school! And I scored two lovely skirts!

both A line...everything was sold by donation! Both need a little altering but all the same it was lots of fun to browse the isles during lunch!

For more Flee market finds head over to Sophie's!

five favourites...

Ikea frames...they are versatile...

 

I'm drinking my weight in hot drinks at the moment...mostly of the chocolate variety! 

winter =the need for moisteriser! This is my pick, body shop seaweed flavour...or type I mean!

Swaps! I have recently just completed an apron swap which was fun...and before that was a pincushion swap which was fantastic too...I have just come across this one tonight closing today...so we'll see if I made it before the closing date!

This Ladys blog was pointed out to me by a friend a couple of weeks ago...she takes lovely photos...and has all her posts in sweedish and english!

Check out other favourites over here!

something that is not my favourite at the moment is my stinking laptop it won't do anything I want it to do..this post took like half an hour because it's such a disobediant twat!