Gifted

A quick debrief on my Christmas haul (because we all loved my annual wish list, oui?!) ...

I was a very good girl and Father Christmas was uber kind.

Look what he left under the tree!

Nespresso, Kate spade and my girl Sam. Nailed it, big man!

I was ridiculously spoiled by friends and fam and won't go into detail with a list of gifts but more than anything, above and beyond the material possessions, I'm very grateful for the time everyone gave me over Christmas - time with my niece and nephew, time with my grandparents, time with my friends and their new bubs, time with my pregnant gal pals, time with old workmates, time with my parentals, time with my godchildren and time with the bride. This is what I'll cherish from my two weeks home.

That, and the coffee ;)

I hope you all had lovely holidays and took time out to spend with loved ones.

xx

My week in pics

To say the last two months have been random, would be an understatement!

One of these days I'll explain the craziness that has been my move to Melbourne but in the meantime, we'll just digest small bites at a time.

I dug deep to channel my inner child last week when I took up an eight day nanny stint in South Yarra. It was so much fun, but oh so exhausting! I have a newfound respect for stay at home mums. How do you do it?! Especially those of you with start up businesses or study commitments. You are my heroes!

Snippets of my very pink week below ...

Thank goodness for My Legendary Girlfriend and its caffeine fixes! And it just so happens it will be my local at my new job wich I start on Monday . . .

Happy days, friends xx

Long live the Queen

Oh the treasures you find in the back streets of Wellington's beaches.

Queen Sally's Diamond Deli in Lyall Bay had me at hello.

Everything about it was fun - from the friendly staff to the lolly jars and fresh colourful salads, it was perfect.

I wanted to pack it all up and bring it home with me!

Find out more about it here. It's a definite 'must-see' when in Wellington.

After you've had your fun in the Deli, grab a takeaway coffee and go and watch the planes take off and land from the beach at Lyall Bay. Great entertainment for a 15 month old!

Jar of love

I popped into Mum and Dad's last night after a very successful Christmas shopping adventure.

I hadn't planned on shopping and had no presents in mind which is why I think I did so well.

Having said that, did rack up the first six purchases for the night just for me!

Anyway, Mum was busy in the kitchen when I stopped by and I was intrigued by her bench full of empty cookie jars.

She went on to show me the Christmas presents she'd prepared for her gym friends and I thought they were just such a good idea I had to share. 

How easy! I've done something similar for my friends before, but I especially loved the different textures used in this version . . .

And the best bit?

They have downloadable templates you can print off to make life so much easier!

See the recipe in the December issue of Australian Good Taste magazine and download the templates here.

Bean there

Felt alive again this morning when I headed in for an early meeting in the city at our advertising agency. There's something about the buzz of town at 8.30am that lifts my spirits and puts a smile on my face.

I even wore heels for the occasion.

(Can you tell I'm not feeling the love for my suburban office location today!?)

Anyway, I was early for the meeting so toddled off (and I mean toddled, these heels are high!) down to Leigh Street to see for myself what all the fuss is about at this new coffee joint everyone's raving about.

The Coffee Branch.

Get there. Now.

 The line up was almost out the door - the shop was filled with coolios, business types, artsy folk, tradies. Everyone who knows their coffee and appreciates a fine drop.

Great location - Leigh Street is really taking off with so many awesome restaurants on the pathed path - and the big windows and funky fitout make it an inviting space. 

I loved it. Felt like I'd been transported to Melbourne or New York or some place uber cool. Yay for the Rads kicking it up a gear.

The owner Josh wanted to create "the atmostphere of a bar without the alcohol". And he's managed that - even at 8.30am in the morning. I was impressed.

So I ordered a chai soy latte (can you believe my first foray into the soy hood?) and perched on a stool with the latest issue of SA Life (nice pic Ms Brown) waiting for my name to be called.

I nearly fell off my chair when they called my name only to have a cute looking bloke come forward and hand deliver my order. Talk about service! Such a friendly crew, service was outstanding (and not to mention easy on the eye!)

Do yourself a favour and give the chain coffee shop cup a miss in favour of a delicately hand crafted cup of perfection, made with love.

Pics from here (a great local mag too!)