the week that got away . . .

 Greetings all,

Phew, the week totally got away from me.  Last weekend we went to a family wedding in Sydney, which was an amazing experience - i'd never been to a Macedonian wedding before.  It was so vibrant, full of love & energy, really fun with lots of dancing & fantastic food.  We only had to purchase one new outfit - a dress for our eldest daughter, who would rather be in running shorts & spikes - so when she agreed to a patterned, layered, pink Alannah Hill frock, we were shocked & thrilled.  Needless to say she looked lovely & received lots of comments from family . . . she's quite statuesque & carried herself very well in heels. 

 The children were so well behaved, it was a very long day (midday wedding, 5p.m. reception) but by 10p.m. they were exhausted. We booked a suite at the Shangri-La in advance, so we were able to enjoy the room in the break between wedding & reception, relaxing in the complimentary lounge with cold drinks & afternoon tea . . . it was also a quick escape after a huge Sunday night event.  Amazing views of course!! 

We drove home to Canberra on Monday; the children went to school Tuesday, however my eldest had a moderation day - she stayed home to work on assignments while i ran errands (instead of shopping, crazy right??)  I picked up Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar & am reading it thoroughly before i too, quit sugar.  I volunteered as a time keeper at the primary school swimming carnival Wednesday & came home with a cracking migraine, spending Thursday in a heap . . . all the while watching a debate carrying on my Instagram feed - after posting this image!!  How can decreasing sugar & being educated about fructose hidden in food, be a bad thing??!!  This book is thorough, fact, interesting . . . & so far i haven't seen a negative remark which Sarah hasn't already addressed in the book - so read the book before saying ridiculous things like "Sarah says never ever eat another banana" as she doesn't, she simply explains the fructose levels in fruit & to reduce, be aware.  Sugar is sugar, not good (because it comes in fruit wrapped in fibre) or bad (because it is dressed up in a lolly) . . . your body doesn't care, it just senses sugar.  I'll be sure to write extensively on this topic as i start the detox in a couple of months.  Don't worry, Sarah even requests you don't become "a sugar bore" just clued in & enjoy your own personal journey.

So i spent the rest of the week sipping iced tea (FYI i never sweeten it, or drink caffeine, it's basically pretty water) curled up on the lounge.  Sigh.  

 Have gorgeous weekends everyone, it's my adopted city of Canberra's 100th birthday, so lots of parties, events & fun going on here + a long weekend, so i'm finishing off my studio & shock horror, might even sew a stitch.  I shock myself, it's been 18 months!!  Love Posie

Daily Posie updates are on Instagram, check them out at PosieShoots!!  We now have bunnies.

an iced tea Summer adventure

Greetings all,

I'm new to tea drinking.  I loathed the smell of my mummy's can't-get-out-of-bed-without-English-Breakfast morning cup of tea, so when i decided to start drinking tea last Summer, aged 36, i wanted it to be fresh, tastey, organic, caffeine free & without milk.  So i went into T2 for ideas, bought a couple of their iced tea jugs & started experimenting.  I like it weak, i like in a glass stuffed with fresh herbs & i like it icey cold.  Very different to what i thought 'drinking tea' was all about. 

 Best of all, my children enjoy it too - coloured water to them - they play around making ice blocks with cold brewed tea, brilliant!!  Now T2 teas are the expensive trendy option, so to reduce the cost of my drink adventure, i bought some Twinings tea bags (Raspberry, Strawberry & Loganberry to be precise) & popped a tea bag in a tap-water-filled 1L bottle, gave it a swirl & popped it straight into the fridge.  After a few minutes i removed the tea bag (to my sheer delight, it slid on out) & left it to chill.  It was delicious & how simple??!!  25c baby.  Use two bags if you want a stronger flavour, then toss tea to the hens.  

So our Summer afternoons look a bit like this - cold grapes, fresh mangoes, iced tea & homemade iced tea blocks.  FYI ice tea doesn't stain white laminate kitchen counters like food colouring does!!  

I take jugs of iced tea to the pool, i would never buy iced tea (more sugar than coca cola, are you kidding me??!!) & have a neat little picnic while escaping with a home lifestyle magazine, almost every day.  We usually drink it with a straw too, so no teeth staining.  I learnt that from The Hills - thanks gorgeous girls!!  Love Posie

PS i used to sell these ice block makers in my on line store, they sold out quickly every time i restocked, i do have the rocket ship version, on special for a song!!

our creative space . . . 'creative taste buds'

Greetings all,

My studio is really coming together, a huge effort seeing i've halved the size & put all my storage tubs in there too, spreading out was sheer luxury.  So while i'm not crafting, i'm working on other parts of . . . me . . . like my desire to drink tea, but disliking the taste.  I have always loved the idea of organic happy healthy teas (sans caffeine) i sampled some fruity ones iced over Christmas.  Now with Winter fluttering in, i'd like an alternative to hot chocolate (calories) & this week took myself off to T2 for an education on what suits my very inexperienced tea palate.

 This is not a PR post, i paid the $68 for the jug & teas from my hot little pocket, however, every staff member i've ever come across in this shop is so informative & enthusiastic about tea, i'm happy to promote them.  This week i picked up the smaller jug (i have the 2L - it's quite a commitment) & these flavours, which, shock horror, i enjoyed (in store samples) as hot teas.  I was so proud of myself & how creative my taste buds are becoming.

 So this morning, between the school run & errands, i popped home for a cup of toasty nougat & homemade cookies, it was so comforting & dare i say, filling . . . satisfying!!  Tonight i'm going to try the red choc mint, which the T2 girl said is amazing with a splash of milk too.  Mmmm.  I like this pace but i'm never drinking coffee, i like the smell but taste, ick.

If you're into vintage tea sets, check out my friend Heidi from The Polka Dot Petticoat blog in Alaska USA, for some amazing finds, prepare to be jealous - coloured glass to Dutch tin sets!!

 Meanwhile, back at chicken central, check out my little blogging pal.

 I want to get back into screen printing shortly, like my muse??  She'll grow into those feet on day, right now, she's looking a bit scrawny & dare i say, like a rooster, noooo!!

Happy Creative Spaces this week folks, hope to be sewing soon, but right now my head is so giddy with the thought of my husband coming home, nothing else matters, love Posie

PS check out my last post to see if you are a giveaway winner, there are lots of you!!

we wish you a Merry Christmas . . .

Greetings all,
I love that i live in a city that is occupied with interstaters (including me) as they all flee for Christmas (excluding me) . . . i swan around the supermarket aisles, shops & streets with ease.  It's hard to build traditions around Christmas when you're in a different city/ family member's house/ hotel/ husband away each year - i can't wait for stability, Christmas in our own home, with my husband & all the beautiful English traditions my mother instilled in us - especially the food.  I want to make Christmas pudding everyone has stirred, i want to deck the halls with holly & i want to host Christmas!! 

I put the special Oxfam decorations my dear friend Lisa gave each of my children on our cute wooden tree.  See the little early gift i gave myself - a Red Riding Hood teapot.  Next year i want to force myself to like tea.

 Last minute school class party reindeer cupcakes, they finally finished school on Wednesday, poor little public schoolers.  In the meantime, my high schooler & i took in lots of movies (Mission Impossible is amazing), shopping & lunches out, lovely!!  Her boy-who-is-a-friend tagged along too, he's one patient young man!! 

 I'm retiring my cute animal calendar this year . . .

 with this neat one from Kikki-K, about $12 in their early Boxing Day sale.  Note: i got the '21 Days to Start/ End Habits' in preparation of new year's resolutions.  Hey, i bought the book, that's a start, i'm already on my way . . . mind, body & soul!!

 In my effort to like tea, i have tried for many years to stomach hot tea but iced tea is my baby step.  I've just brewed my second batch of T2 White Christmas, chilling in the fridge, some of the children like it too, filled up with lemon slices & mint.  I also got Tummy Tea to help with digestion & flush out the demons of Christmas feasting. 

 The 2L tall jug is too big for any shelf in the fridge so she lives in the door or filled with ice on the counter on her rubbery coaster.

 Some last minute decoration finds at Hive, already know what my colour scheme for next Christmas is, lime, fuchsia & silver, pretty right??

 Found this red brick filled ornament in my letter box, thanks Lego!!

 Keen??  Me??  At the Seed sale at 9a.m. for shoes - the last year my youngest children will fit into their shoes as they only go up to size 35.  The sequin & polka dot shoes were reduced to $15!!  The strappy gold ones were reduced to $30, wish they had my size!! 

 So Merry Christmas blogland, have thoroughly enjoyed your company this year.

Have a wonderful time with family, friends, or indulging alone if that's your thing.  I'll be blogging over Summer so don't be a stranger, love Posie