#sharethegoodstuff

Have you ever stumbled across a blog/website/instagram account and marveled in the beauty of such a simple concept that you think to yourself - 

I must shout my praise of this person and their awesomeness from the rooftops?

I have.

So I am.

May I introduce to you...

In the interest of full disclosure – Yes, this little marvel is brought to you by a very special friend of mine. BUT I didn’t know that when I first came across it in its infancy.

The sheer simplicity of this project is what makes it so damn special.

"It might only be a small thing, 

but One Such Thing is something to someone."

Let us marvel in the beauty of our daily lives.

Let us take a moment to appreciate just one thing in our world, for which we are truly grateful.

Sandy Toes

I've shared my One Such Thing.. Have you?

xx

redefining success

I have been sitting on this post for several weeks now. Jotting down my thoughts and spending some time letting my own self judgement swirl around in my mind, letting my opinions form, then change, then reconsidering my previous assumptions.

So here I am. Ready to talk about the definitions of 'success' and 'failure'.

I have posted about feeling like a failure in the past. But today I ponder failure of a more general kind. 

Life failure.

What does it actually mean to fail? In exams, it’s black and white

and easy to understand.

But in life ... it’s ambiguous because success is 

often about meeting a set of criteria created by a person or a 

group of people whose opinions differ from your own.

- Here

If the opposite of failure is success, then what exactly does that mean?

If you ask society to determine if you're successful it is easy - 

On paper, I was 'successful' in my early 20's.

Uni Degree  ✔️

Job  ✔️

Husband  ✔️

House  ✔️

Dog  ✔️

Tick; Tick; Tick.


But back then, I was (unknowingly) living a life with blinkers on, like a Clydesdale horse - focused on the path ahead, blindly heading from 'here' to 'there'. 

Yes, I was ticking the boxes and yes, I was feeling satisfied that I was succeeding. But in hindsight, these goals were self imposed priorities that were previously determined by societal expectations and I didn't really stop to wonder if I was on the right path for me.




You know why?

Because I was 100% focused on being who I 'should' be.



WHO MAKES THESE RULES?!


Those who know me in 'real life' know I have been challenging this concept for months. 
If you know me really well.. you know I have been quietly struggling with this concept for YEARS!


But I have come to a life changing realisation that is - 

Failure is what happens when you feel disconnected from who 

you really are.

This means (in a very harsh and judgmental way) that I had failed more than a marriage by the ripe age of 25.

*oops!*

[Edit: After a conversation with my sister about this very topic, I have acknowledged that I know I haven't failed at life, but I was definitely doing all the things I was 'supposed' to do rather than figuring out who I am and what I want. As a 'wife' I made sacrifices because that's what I thought marriage and compromise was all about. Happily, I now know that if/when I ever choose to become a 'wife' again, I will not lose myself in the process. HIGH FIVE!]
Sidenote - I think I have come up with a new blog topic - "Thing that my marriage and subsequent breakdown taught me".. 
But I'll leave that for another day!


So now I am focused on a brand new kind of success.

I am throwing out the rigid and inflexible concept of the word and embracing a new theory.

Success is love.

Self love first and foremost.

Love yourself. Love what you are doing. Love where you are. Love where you have been.

And if you don't - then make a change.

Because your life should not be spend striving for someone else's ideal of success.


~ ~ ~


I'm not done with this topic. I still have a long way to go.

It's not easy to challenge society. And it sure as hell isn't easy to challenge yourself.

I am currently fighting my own internal dialect Every. Damn. Day.


xx

what i know

There are lots of things in life that I don't quite understand - 

Like death - or more specifically what happens after death?

And why an hour spent on Pinterest is gone in the blink of an eye, but feels like 5 years when you're waiting for that call, text, email...

Or why it's always an annoying song that gets stuck in your head, and not one of your favourites.

But what I know is that the beach is the perfect place to hang, no matter what your mood; 

Some friends are irreplaceable and even if you don't get to see them often, they are definitely worth their weight in gold; 

Sometimes, even after a week of healthy eating (or maybe especially after a week of healthy eating) a margarita is the best idea;

Lying on the grass, staring at the sky, is the best therapy;

Nothing beats a kick-ass playlist on a long flight;

And when in doubt - ask dad because his no nonsense advice is second to none.

here

xx

pass the popcorn

The number of ticket stubs floating in the bottom on my handbag has led me write this post..

I am certainly no Margaret Pomeranz or David Stratton when it comes to my movie knowledge or ability to review said films, but I know what I like and I know warm popcorn and a choctop always make the experience 100% better.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

I ventured out to the cinema alone for the very first time and saw this movie.

Perhaps it was my new found cinema-going independence, or perhaps it was because this movie gave me the sense that anyone can be/do/see anything they want, whatever it was - I really enjoyed this film.

I will admit, I am not a huge Ben Stiller fan, so I have some reservations at first, but the story and the scenery captured me from the beginning and I enjoyed every second of the journey.

««««

SAVING MR BANKS

I had zero expectations of this film. I literally had no idea what it was about.

I hadn't seen a single preview or read any reviews.

And I was so thankful, because that just made this movie even more magical.

Emma Thompson is perfect.

The soundtrack is (obviously) amazing.

The back story is heart-wrenching.

Tears were shed. Smiles happened.

My inner-child beamed with love for Disney.

True warm and fuzzy.

«««««

THE WOLF OF WALLSTREET

How much will you hurt me when I tell you that I just didn't love it?!
Don't get me wrong - Leonardo DiCaprio is freakin' fantastic.
And anyone who ever watched Neighbours, would be just so damn proud of Margot Robbie.
But after allll the rave reviews, I think I just expected more.....
It was long. And yes - I laughed, and grimaced, and squirmed.
But it's not a movie I can gush about.
Sorry I'm not sorry.

«««


ARE WE OFFICIALLY DATING?

OK.. there had to be one chick flick in the mix.
And this is it.
Funny? Yes
Relatable? Maybe
Worth the movie ticket? Probably not.
I've seen Zac do better. (Charlie St Cloud)
I've seen him do worse too.. (Hello, New Years Eve)
In the United States, this movie is called 'That Awkward Moment' and well.. it was.
Zac's gotten a little chubby, so the eye candy wasn't there. And I didn't feel the chemistry between him and his girlfriend Imogen Poots.
Bonus points to his onscreen BFF Daniel though.

Two memorable moments for me -
1. When his other BFF Mikey admits his life is over after his wife has cheated on him, because how did it go so wrong? After all "he checked all the boxes.. College degree, successful job, marriage"; and
2. When he cyber-stalks the guy who is in four of the girls Facebook photos, like an obsessed teenage girl [Admit it - You've done that too]

««


Argue if you want. But I call it how I see it.


And finally, because when I went to the movies on Friday night, all I really wanted to see was a little of this -

You're welcome

xx

let's talk gratitude

grat-i-tude [noun] 
Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling or

 attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or 

will receive.

No other words today. There's no explanation required.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the

 foundation for all abundance.” 

― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

xx

pizza + wine

I know that my latest and greatest eating habits are not as exciting as my baking of delicious sweet treats.. and I also know that for some reason, I am not as skilled at photographing my savoury food compared to fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies or generously-iced cakes..

But after seeing a million photos on pinterest, I decided it was a sign from the universe telling me it was time to give the whole 'cauliflower pizza crust' thing a go.

Was it worth the time and effort??

Cauli-crust Pizza

YES!!!

I roasted pumpkin for the topping;

I blended cauliflower into a 'dough';

I smeared avocado as a base;

I added capsicum, pinenuts, mushrooms and basil for the topping.

And the end result was undeniably delicious.

The most time consuming component of the entire process was drying out the cauliflower to make it 'dough-ready'.

After blitzing about half a head of cauli in my blender (apparently, you can grate it as an alternative), you then need to get the excess moisture out of it.

I did this over the stove top, on low heat, stirring until it 'cooked' and dried.

After allowing it to cool, add 1 egg + some mozzerella cheese. Then form 'pizza' sized circles on a baking tray.

Cook the base until golden brown.

Unless you're like me, and you get too excited, forget, and load your pizza with toppings before you realise you missed this step!!

[It didn't really matter.. I suppose my bases would have been a little crispier if I had remembered this part...]

After adding the topping, cook until brown/cheese has melted/you get hungry..

Enjoy with a glass of vino*.

xx

*Always drink responsibly.

let's live a technicolour life

H A P P Y   F R I D A Y !

I have trudged through yet another week at work. Surrounded by colleagues who have also lost their spark. And I must admit, as a team, it would be incredibly depressing to observe us from the outside!


When does the adult world lose its shine?

At what point does the colour begin to fade away?

When did we all grow up to be so boring and serious?!


As a child, everything has indefinite potential.

Sticks become swords;

Tables become forts; and

Clouds become elephants and tractors and clowns.

Children see the world with wonder and excitement.

They live in technicolour when adults live in monochrome.


So what can we do to stop the colour disappearing completely?


This weekend I am setting an intention to see the colours and really pay attention to my surroundings.

here

xx

oh my gosh.. she's SIX

Miss Emmy is SIX today and my heart swells with love for this little parcel of fur.

Both of us are in absolute denial of her age. In fact it is a topic that is strictly off-limits.

When people at the dog park remark on how she is such an adorable puppy -

We smile knowingly and make small talk about her youthful appearance and endless energy.

Just 8-weeks old..

In a very raw, honest conversation with my mum recently, I discussed (yet another) relocation and actually considered what it would mean to not take Miss Emmy with me - ie. not having to look for 'dog-friendly' rentals; the freedom to travel for work..

But having those thoughts and speaking those words aloud made every cell in body scream in defense. The joy that my fur child brings me surpasses everything. 

Note to potential friends/boyfriends - This little dog is my non-negotiable.

And is it just me, or is she getting cuter with age?!

xx

drizzle it.. just a little bit

Sometimes (ok.. more often, than not) I like to imagine my life as a movie.

If this were the case, it would probably be filed in the 'drama' category of the video store.

Or the 'comedy' section.. depending on the day.

In any case, my movie would have a kick-ass soundtrack.

In the absence of actual video footage, hit play on the below and picture me dancing around the kitchen as I make this delicious cake specifically requested by a friend who is recovering from surgery...

*Thank you 90's flashback*

OK.. that's enough of that.

Now to the cake making portion of this post - 



L E M O N   D R I Z Z L E   C A K E


225g unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
Finely grated zest of 1½ lemons
225g self raising flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tablespoons hot water

For Drizzle Topping
Juice of 1 lemon
100g caster sugar

Oven temperature 180c/fan forced
Cooking time 45 mins

Heat oven
Line the cake tin with greaseproof paper
Beat together the butter and sugar until it looks pale and creamy.
Whilst butter and sugar is beating, finely grate the skin of 1½lemons 
Measure out the flour quota and set aside for use later.
Whisk the eggs, and slowly add them to the butter and sugar mixture - 1 at a time, 
and add a tablespoon of flour from the flour quota after each egg.
Sift in the remaining flour into the mixture and add 1 tbsp of baking powder plus the lemon zest
Combine the ingredients.
Add two tablespoons of hot water and stir mixture until well combined.
Pour mixture into the prepared cake tin
Bake for 45 - 50 minutes


Whilst the cake is cooling in the tin mix the drizzle lemon juice and caster sugar together.
Take a skewer or a fork and prick the warm cake all over; then pour over the drizzle and sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest. 
The juice will sink into the cake giving it a more lemony taste and the sugar will form a crisp white topping.
Leave the cake in the tin until it has completely cooled. 

And THAT is how it's done.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

xx