Keep Calm and Pick (or buy) Flowers

What is it about flowers? They just make me smile and feel all warm and happy inside! And so this week, after receiving 2 amazing bunches as gifts (I'm a lucky girl) on top of the rose I had already bought (I've run out of vases!), my house has been transformed into a very happy place.  

According to EHow.com behavioural studies have shown a link between flowers and emotional health. Apparently people also feel more energetic in the morning after seeing flowers!

I could never before justify the cost of having fresh flowers in the house at all times, but given the positive effect seeing them has on me at the end of a long day in the office, I'm definitely changing my mindset (and budget) this year. And who knows, maybe one day I'll have a garden to grown them in to pick...that is if they survive better than my past pot plants did!

Keep Calm and Celebrate Love

No, I haven't lost the plot and begun blogging about Valentines Day WAY too early...

It feels like just the other day that I had all but given up on love. After plenty of long years waiting, along came you! The past year has opened my eyes to the joy of loving and being loved again. The excitment of what may and will come. The ability to have hopes for the future. The initial fear (or more realistically major panic) at opening up to someone again and trusting after all that time, weren't long lived because, well, because you are you... Funny, dorky, trustworthy, spontanious, fun, reliable, loveable you!

What an amazing year it's been - thank you for all the great memories babes and here's to many more :-)

Keep Calm and Watch Dirty Dancing

If you are anything like me, and pretty much live for the weekends, then today is indeed a HAPPY DAY!! The slog of the week and all it's mundainity is soon over and we are free to do as we please for a full 64 hours (yes...I did the math!)

This weekend promises to be especially cool as my aunt is here dropping my cousin off at university for the first time....oh to be young and fun and experience O Week all over again! Being a "refugee" from the Eastern Cape, it's always super cool to have some family around to show of our beautiful city. So the next 64 hours will no doubt be spent eating out, drinking out, market shopping (I'm keen to try out Blaauwklippen Vineyards Sunday Family Market), engagement parties and last but very much not least, a trip to Artscape with the girls to watch Dirty Dancing. Not only was this one of my favourite movies growing up, I seem to recall that I had my first kiss (*CRINGE worthy moment of note*) while dancing to the Dirty Dancing sountrack ("She's like the Wind" to be specific!) Regardless,  I can't wait to see "nobody put's Baby in the corner" on stage.  

 Happy weekend!

Hunting for the perfect cushion

My mom always taught me that when you don't have the means to refurbish fully, touch up the small things to make your room look bran new. Well, that lesson learnt, I've been hunting for the perfect scatter cushions for a while now (as mentioned in my first post of 2013) and have been struggling to find just what I'm looking for. I think that is half the problem - knowing exactly what I'm looking for! That, and the limited budget that I have at the moment.

I sometimes wish I could be this blunt!
(Mr Price Home)



I started out the search at good old M R Price hoping to find "the ones" at an affordable price. While they have many ok options, I didn't fall in love and given the short life span of "poofiness" the previous bunch I got from there had, I'm hesitant to repeat the buy.



Awesome colours and print
(Woolies)



The ever reliable Woolies must be able to deliver I thought. And indeed they did...at a price! I fell in love a few time over in the hour or so that I was there, playing with different colour combinations on my imaginary couch (I promise that there was another lady there doing the EXACT same thing - I wasn't the only retard unsure of my colour combinations!) So back to falling in love...I fell hard, but not quite hard enough to slash out close to R2000 in the notoriously tight first month of the year. But if I could have, I would have.



5 Rooms, based in Cape Town, is a great online option with plenty of amazing choices including cushion covers all at a pretty price! Seeing as payday is coming soon, I might even brave a visit to the ever amazing Weylandts to see what they have in store.

I'll share the pics when I finally find "the one!"

Thrifty Thursday

I love a good bargain. I mean, who doesn't. But (like many others I'm sure) I'm guilty of buying for the sake of buying when I see a great deal. I'm not always that great at applying my mom's rule of "do you want it or do you need it?!" As a result, I end up with masses of often low quality "stuff" that doesn't last nearly as long as it would have had I bought the slightly better quality, more expensive alternative.

That being said, there is no greater joy than finding a high quality luxuary that you would have not normally been able to justify, at a reduced price. This year I'm going to try to find great deals and only splurge on things that I REALLY need...or REALLY want!

I read a blog the other day describing how a woman (stay at home mom!) would buy her full months groceries from discount stores and freeze it for great home made meals all month long. Now - let's be realistic, I'm not about to give up my Woolies treats or weekly sushi, but I'm sure that there are more cost effective ways of doing what I've been doing. Here are some that I can think of so far:

- Not getting sucked into those 2 or 3 or 4 packets of rocket for the price of 1. I mean really...how much rocket can I realistically eat before it goes soggy?
- Not eating the grosely oily canteen food at work. Yes I know it looks like a bargain, but how hard is it to get up 5 minutes earlier in the morning and pack a lunch?
- Watching movies at the mall which is a couple of kilometers further away from home than your normal mall of choice - really, it's almost half price!
- Creative home made gifting - I love giving gifts and am slowly starting to find fun and cost effective ways of still having the joy of giving without the pain of the budget crisis I face after splurging

Here's to finding more thrifty ways of life and sharing them on Thursdays!

At what point does Shabby Chic just become Shabby?

I have a confession to make. Before I moved to Cape Town (about two and a half years ago now) I dreamed of living here (for about a year or so prior) and during this time, I pretty much stalked EVERYTHING mother-cityish. I followed even the most random of CT restuarants on Twitter, googled the best places to eat, the best routes to run or mountain bike. Everything to do with the mountain was read, digested and put away in the memory bank. So much so that even today I remember the oddest of establishments and can't remember where I heard of them from.

One such place is Olympia Cafe in Kalk Bay. For the longest time I've wanted to eat here but have always been greeted with the longest of queues at the door. This past weekend we were walking past and managed to get a table. I'm not sure of what exactly I had expected and while it didn't entire disappoint, it definately didn't blow me away. Our server was such a lovely person, the food was good and the coffee great, but I found myself wondering at what point does shabby chic just become shabby? And I didn't even venture through the kitchen to get to the bathrooms - apparently that is a treat!

I'm all for a litttle boho in my life (Bombay Bicycle Club is one of my faves) but at when does my need for cleanliness trump my love of funky junk?

Keep Calm and Watch a Movie

Pretty much the only thing I love about winter is that I get to watch copious amounts of movies without feeling guilty that I'm missing out on precious moments in the sun! But in the past 10 days I've managed to justify sneaking in a couple of new releases as well as a hit that I missed last year. There really is nothing better than losing yourself in someone elses life for a little while...

In what was undoubtably my movie of the year (lets make it the movie of the 2012/13 year as making it the movie of the past few weeks hardly does it justice!) Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence bring to life two amazing characters that you can't help but fall in love with. Their quirky charm, heartbreaking stories and the level of hillarious self deprication (which can only be a result of acute self awareness) that they dish out will have you in tears.

Set in a different era, genre and decade, Django Unchained is worlds apart from Silver Linings Playbook, but equally intriguing. In true Quintin Tarentino style, he brings to life a story of overcoming the odds, good truimphing evil...with heavy helping of grit and gore. While I was tempted to cover my eyes many a time - I couldn't bring myself to miss a moment of this amazing movie.

I won't lie - I had to "IMDB" Christoph Waltz before realising what I'd seen him in before but I certainly won't be forgetting him again as he was brilliantly funny and charming in the this role. Leo never dissapoints, Jamie has truely grown into an amazing story teller, Kerry was beautiful and Samuel...well he's Samuel - enough said. And then there was the soundtrack - diverse to the point of being comical but catchy as all hell (I couldn't stop myself from tapping and humming along.) A movie not for the faint hearted (as all those leaving the cinema within the first 30 minutes found out) but definately a must see.

There are very few things that will keep me awake until 12am on a Friday night after a heavy week at work (let alone the first full week back after the holidays!) but no amount of heavy-eyelid-syndrome was going to get me to miss a minute of the intrugue of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I can't believe that I missed not only the US film version of this book, but also the original (as I love me some subtitles!) Yes there were scenes which made me gag and images that will probably still haunt me for a while, but the intricacy and complexity of the storyline was enough to leave me in anticipation for the second installment.

So those were three of my faves from the past little while. Still high on the list of the priorities for a rainy (or not so sunny day) are Les Miserables, Argo, Lincoln, Flight, Anna Karenina and Zero Dark Thirty. So many movies, so little time!

Keep Calm and Try New Things

Yay, YAY, it's FRIDAY!

This week I've rediscovered my love of Pinterest. It's amazing how my "go-to" page, while sipping on my morning coffee, changes week to week. But my suspision is that Pinterest will hang on to the #1 spot for a little while longer due to the many hours it's enthralled me this week!

This week the posts have inspired me, challenged me, horrified me and generally movitated me to try new things. And so...

1) Use Washi tape like never before - Courtesy of Cleverbird Andrea :-)

2) Gift shop in a new, more thoughtful way and on a budget

3) Eat at a new restuarant and try new wines - River Cafe, Constantia Uitsig

4) Bake something new - Peacan Pie Bars

5) Go back to basics in my relationship - "16 ways I blew my marriage" - Single Dad Laughing blog

Keep Calm and Travel On



Where I've been...

I recently saw on a friends Facebook status the she was leaving her home province for the first time ever (in her mid-twenties) and I was amazed. I was lucky enough to travel abroad for the first time (by myself!) when I was 12 years old. My brave parents put me on the plane in Johannesburg (my first time there) and off I went to England for a 2 month stint on a boarding school exchange programme. While I'd love to say that I adored every second of it, the intense home sickness I experienced would make that a terrible lie. I did however relish the opportunities I had to travel around the country with teachers or school friends parents. It was then that the travel bug bit.



Where I'd love to go...



Since then there have been a few more trips - always to short and always to too few places! Every year I crave a new adventure outside of our boarders, but obviously this is not always possible. And so I thought I'd put together a Travel Bucket List so that when the stars do align (those stars being: Annual Leave, Enough Money and No Other Responsibilities) I'll be ready to hop on the plane!

My Travel Bucket List:

> Vietman - has been at the top of the list since I was a child - I'm not entirely sure why!

> Cambodia - joined the list after my special friend Margs planted the seed a few years back

> India - prehaps "Monsoon Wedding" romantisied the place for me slightly but never the less...

> Anywhere in Africa...but particularly Ghana, Kenya, Botswana - as soon as I stepped out of the plane and set foot on Tansaneenen soil (albeit in Zanzibar!) I felt as if I'd never truely been to Africa (cue whiney American accent) despite having lived on the continent all my life. Ghana in particular holds a particular tug on my heart

> South America - Aside from Asia I'm not sure that there are many places in the world as different to what I know as you'll find here

> Spain, Croatia, Greece - Having pretty much travelled Europe flat on three occasions the only real regrets I have are not being able to see these three countries

And Japan might just make it's way onto the list too given that it's my favourite persons dream destination!



Keep Calm and Cuddle Me

So I had a mini-meltdown the other day. In fact, I'm sure that my man would agree that they word 'mini' does not adequately describe the meltdown he witnessed. Let's use the word 'major' then. I had a major-meltdown the other day.

It was the perfect storm: some of my deepest insecurities and fears were touched on, added to them, my hate of any form of conflict was exposed as well as many of my worst pet peeves. All in the space of a couple of hours. I'm a person who likes to be in control, to have a long-term plan, to know what is coming next. And everything that went down on this particular day, put me (or made me believe in a the highly-emotional state that I was in) totally out of control.

The result? Tears. And lots of them! It was hardly a graceful or beautiful sight. No, I think it is safe to say that it was a totally unattractive few hours on my part! And what did my amazing man do? Run? Laugh? Head for the hills? Nope - he was just there: calm, logical, rational, supportive. After a long cuddle and attempts to get me laughing again, the worst was past and feeling like I'd just run a marathon, I curled in a ball and slept like an angel.

Looking back, it REALLY wasn't the biggest deal, but I suppose that's the 'joy' of being a women. We get hurt by the small stuff, we worry about our happiness and the delicate balance we have to maintain in order to keep it, we hope that we are strong enough to face the storms - but sometimes we aren't - and that realisation in itself is hurtful to our proud, independant exterior.

One thing that I did realise through this ordeal is that I can't control everything that will happen in the future and that it's not realistic to think that I'll be able to avoid conflict at all costs. I suppose that's life...the real, unpleasant, underside to all the upsides we experience. I'm just very grateful that this time I had someone by myside to (try to!) keep me calm and cuddle me ;-)

Take out Tuesdays

What I Know About Work In My 30s

BY: Dara Pettinelli

Managing editor, Babble

Posted: 01/09/2013 10:33 am

For most of my 20s I felt as if the universe would never operate quickly enough for me to get where I needed to be. (Years of interning and assisting can have that effect.) Now that I'm 32, I finally feel proud of where I am and feel more at peace with everything within, and out, of my control. Here's what I've learned in over a decade of working:

1. Coworkers are not your family, and never will be.
As close as you may feel to the people you interact with everyday, you're all working for a business and business is about the bottom line, not how great of a person you are.

2. Everyone gets a turn at the wheel.
I truly believe you can be competitive and be a good friend; it all comes down to your character and your self-confidence. As a friend, I'd never ask you to delay pursuing something you want and I'd never wish for you to fail. So, if you're my friend and we're competing for the same responsibilities -- let the best woman win. I'd rather lose to someone I respect than win an easy fight. If you're passionate, hardworking, and a good person, you'll get your turn.

3. A job is never worth your life.
No matter how much you love what you do and no matter how good you are at doing it, a job is impermanent; here today, gone tomorrow. Things that last longer than jobs: your health, your loved ones, your passions. I've witnessed grown, successful women get demeaned, undermined, and taken for granted by other women in the workplace. And I've seen them rationalize it - people would die to have this job, or would kill to work at this company, or but I worked so hard to get here. I've also seen young and old women alike spend all their waking hours on the job, convinced that it's the most important thing they'll ever do and meanwhile they lose friends and loved ones in the process. Refer back to #1.

4. You choose who you want to be everyday.
This goes for interns and CEOs and everyone in between. You choose to be the intern always willing to do the grunt work with a smile or the intern who'd rather be anywhere but here. You choose to be the manager who encourages and empowers or the manager who rules by fear. You choose to throw someone under the bus or shirk responsibility. You chose to take credit when it's due. You choose to be the wallflower or the loudest person in the room. Decide who you want to be and how you want to make others feel in the office: they are two things you'll always have control over.

5. Karma is real, burned bridges are not.
All the talk about being "blacklisted" and "burning bridges" scared the crap out of me when I was a post-grad. I was terrified of disappointing the wrong person and "never working in this town again." The truth is, you can piss people off and you can fuck up, but no one is beyond redemption (think James Frey, Lauren Weisberger). You will find work somewhere with someone. That said, reputations are sticky and karma is a bitch. What you put out in the universe, good or bad, does come back. Refer to #4.

6. There is no map for success.
In school it's pretty simple: study hard, get good grades, advance to the next level. At 24, I assumed work would be the same way. I was very, very wrong. Here's an easy exercise to illustrate what I mean: Look around your office and think about the individual experiences of each person there -- where did they go to school? Where did they work before this? Where did they grow up? Somehow, you all ended up in the same room.

7. Getting fired means as much as you let it.
I'll never forget the despondency I felt the day I was let go from a job. I was a hyperventilating, sick, shocked. When I was younger, I assumed that people who got fired were the kids who didn't study for the test -- the lazy person, the insubordinate person, and the talentless person. So when it happened to me, I believed that I was all of those things. Nonetheless, I picked myself back up and kept working. I've since met incredible people who've lost high-powered jobs and have rebuilt their careers.

8. Mentors are invaluable.
When the day comes when you question yourself and your abilities -- and it will -- the best thing you can draw upon is the memory of how someone who believed in you made you feel. I'm not talking about mom or dad or your boyfriend. I'm talking about someone you worked with who empowered you to take the reigns and was patient with your faults. That person's investment of time and encouragement will support you for years. Be sure to check in and say thank you often -- and to pay it forward.

9. Dream jobs can surprise you.
You may get to the place you've always wanted and realize it's not at all the right fit. And conversely, you may work someplace you never planned to in a position no one's ever heard of and be happier than you'd ever thought possible. So go ahead and make your plans, but know that there's absolutely no way to plan for the best things that happen to you.

10. Your definition of success will change.
At one point it can be all about the title, the money, the office space ... and at another it may be about how the job makes you feel, how much balance it offers, and how meaningful the work is. Success, by default, is fluid because there's no hard, fast way to get there. It evolves just as you do. Remember, no map, many surprises.

11. "It's a rat race and it sucks, Kenny."
Everything I wrote here can be summed up in the classic film "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead." Someday the babysitter may die and you'll be left in charge. It's up to you to envision what you'll do when you get there, be ready when it happens, and play the game until it does. And unless you're a Hilton, Trump, or Kardashian, you do have to play.



Keep Calm and Carry On...into 2013

It's a new, clean, fresh year! I'm not generally one for New Year resolutions, but I do love the idea of a brand new start, a clean slate of sorts. January is always a time of cleaning out the closets (literally) and finding new and improved things to replace the old and rumpled with. This year I'm on the hunt for the perfect scatter cushions...but let me not get sidetracked!

"Out with the old and in with the new" is all good and well but there are however somethings that I want to "carry on" from 2012 - my new found love of the random ramblings on this blog, my rediscovered love of scrapbooking (lame and SO middle-aged Afrikaans tannie-ish I know!!), my attempts to hit the gym and become physically fit (sing it with me now: physically, physically, physically fit!) and just generally to live life to the full - appreciating all that comes my way. The good, the bad, the ugly...

After spending some great QT with my family during the break, I was reminded by my (oh-so amazing) Gran, that in life you always have the choice to see the glass half full, to see the best in people, to have a positive attitude no matter what the obstacles. She is the best example of someone who does this 100% of the time and the results of her choice show in her serenity. So when the chips are down and the times get tough, my motto for this year will be: "What Would Gran Do?"

Here's to a happy, hopeful, harmonious 2013 everyone :-)

Keep Calm and Recharge Battery....AGAIN

Dear Crackberry (aka Blackberry)

In the words of some angry, black female rap artist, once upon a time: "I.HATE.YOU.so-much-right-now."

When I said that I needed the holiday to "recharge my battery" I didn't mean you...constantly being charged...deeming you no more useful than a Telkom line.

I knew when I renewed my contract with you (against my better judgement I might add...) that this would not be a hiccup free 2 years. But I didn't realise that only 8 months into the journey you would require a full extreme makeover (at a cost.)

You no longer wake me up (as you are fast asleep 90% of the time), you no longer allow me the courtesy of typing at a seasoned texters record pace, you no longer dial the number I intend to call, you require a set of tweezers to the back to get you going each morning and you do not allow me to backup and update you myself. Apparently your software is too archaic to allow something as simple as that...

And so, I'll be counting the days until I can at last be rid of you (no offense.)

Regards



A-soon-to-be-iPhone-user (as soon as economically possible that is...)