:: A Life Update ::

Hello lovelies!

My blogging has fallen by the wayside as of late, which I hate. Okay, so I was never going to win an award for the most frequent and entertaining blogger, but you get what I mean. I have so many things to share with you all - like my semi-clean spare room and the upcoming renovations that have stopped me from cleaning it completely (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, ha!), my giveaway (just you wait, it will be amazeballs), so many photos from our beach escape, our professional wedding photos ... the list is huge.

In an effort to keep things real, I'll let you in on what's been going on in my life that's kept me away from the computer. I'd like to say it was something fantastically exciting, but really it's just plain old sickness. I'm pretty sure I whinged on here about being sick sometime last October ... and well, I haven't been well ever since.

Those who know me outside of this blog will know that I'm one of those sick kids - you know the type - allergic to everything, asthmatic, blah, blah, blah. But finally, finally (!) they've figured out the source of my pain for the past few years. I've had a bunch of tests and it would seem my small intestine has rolled up on itself kind of like if you roll a sock down your leg. It's called intussusception ... so it's like an intestine within an intestine! Bad joke. Sorry. I'll probably need surgery to have the rolled up part removed but I am so excited to finally have an answer!

And now for a hospital gown fashion parade ...

Here we see Jasmine wearing a lovely insipid yellow number. The pale colour is so wonderfully complimented by the brown floral pattern. It really brings out her eyes ...

Here our model wears a lovely open-backed pink number. She is wearing her own Mary-Janes and stockings to finish off the outfit ...

The buttons down the front really bring out the sexiness of this striped number, don't you agree?

Our model wears a lovely mix of accessories in this photo. The glasses are really set off by the nose tube - this year's hottest accessory.

Don't get me wrong, my life is still amazing, this is but a mere bump in the road. After they removed my sexy nose tube I headed straight to the NKOTBSB concert and had the best time. I was eight last time NKOTB was in Australia so I was SO excited to finally be able to see them. And it's no secret that I'm a huge Backstreet Boys fan. I am a child of the 90s, after all.

Camera's were banned from the venue, so I relied on my phone. This is Jordan singing 'Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)'.

The weather has slowly been cooling down here, the heaters have been fired into action and I've been enjoying lovely hot cups of tea - is there anything better than a nice, soothing cup of tea? Why yes, there is! Tea in a pretty mug!

How do you like your tea? I love mine with honey and almond milk - yum!

:: Snail Mail ::

The other day I opened our mail box and something wasn't quite right. There was a postcard nestled amongst the bills and advertising, but ... it wasn't addressed to me. Mr LG received his first real postcard in years and he was stoked! It was from a friend who moved interstate a while ago. I think he understood a little more why I love writing letters so much after that.

:: INCOMING::

Pretty shimmery letter from Alyssa.

Rainbow love from Felicia.

Pretty smellies from Alyssa (we wondered if perfume sprayed on paper would smell gross once it reached the recipient - verdict: it still smells nice!)

:: OUTGOING::

Glitter for Alyssa.

I've forgotten who this letter was for :-/

A pretty package for Claire.

Cute little owls for Felicia.

Awesome 90s paper for Jenn.

Pretty hearts for Astrid.

Love these little bird stickers - for Alicia.

The first letter to a new penpal - Denise.

Thanks to my penpals my local post office owner/worker knows me quite well! He's always excited to see where I'm sending my letters and postcards.

:: I'm Going To Be An Aunty Again ::

Exciting news! My younger sister is pregnant! SO exciting! This time two years ago we were celebrating my other little sister's pregnancy, and now I am all excited to become an Aunty again. My sister is due a few days before my nephew's birthday, so my nephew could get a baby cousin for his second birthday!

And here's the best bit ... they're having a ...

Little girl!!!

Look at those little ballet shoes! Couldn't you just die? My sister is obsessed with ballet. Obsessed. She has been dancing since she was 12 and has spent most of her time either dancing or working at her ballet school. Needless to say, she's over the moon to be having a little ballerina.

They decided to have a cupcake gender reveal party to tell all the siblings what they were having. Such a cute idea!

I love all the creative ways to let people know if you're having a boy or a girl! I first saw the cupcake/cake gender reveal party idea on Pinterest. There are so many creative people out there!

Would you find out? How would you let everyone know? I'd definitely find out. I take my hat off to people who decide to wait 'til their baby is born - I couldn't stand the suspense!

:: All That Glitters ::

A few weeks ago Mr LG and I took off to the beach. We decided we needed to get away for a weekend and just relax. I love going to the beach. I think that, one day, I'd like to live closer to the ocean. But for now I'm happy to be a little over an hour away.

I love the way the sun glitters off the water. You've got to wonder if that's where the original creators of glitter came up with the idea.

Sunrise is my favourite time of day. It's so calm and serene. I'm lucky because on the East Coast, the sun rises over the ocean. Two of my favourite things rolled into one!

Yesterday was my blog's second birthday! Stay tuned for a combined birthday 100-followers give away!

:: Accents ::

I tend to get overly excited when I see a blog post where a blogger has posted a video of themselves. I love knowing what you all sound like, what faces you pull when you talk, do you move your hands around a lot (I do!) ...

So, with this in mind, I took a few little videos while I was at the coast for Easter. I got home and uploaded them to my computer to listen/watch and nearly died of shame. The video is of the beach and only my voice and really, after hearing what I really sound like ... I have no idea how I have any friends. My voice is so annoying! Does anyone else hate how they sound in videos? Worst.

A couple of years ago I visited some friends in Sydney and they could all tell I was from Queensland. Apparently that means I talk really fast and my voice is slightly nasal. Nice. I don't think I talk too fast in the video below, but in real life I think I probably do.

Okay, enough hesitating ... here's what I sound like!

PS. 106 followers? What? When?! Time for another give away soon, I think.

:: Recipe - Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rocky Road ::

In the week leading up to Easter my work mates and I kept bringing in chocolates for everyone. One of the guys in my team went one step further and made everyone rocky road (except me, he gave me a block of gluten free, dairy free chocolate - so nice of him!). Ever since then I have been craving rocky road.

Fast forward to Easter morning where I received a huge amount of lollies and dairy free chocolate from Mr LG and my Secret Easter Bunny (like Secret Santa - cute, no?). Winning! I realised I had enough ingredients to make some makeshift rocky road. The reality is, I threw a bunch of ingredients into a bowl and hoped for the best, but I've had a few people ask me for the recipe after I posted a photo of it on Instagram, so I thought I would share it with all of you. Obviously, if you don't have any food allergies, you can just adapt this recipe back to 'normal'.

:: Gluten Free, Dairy Free Rocky Road ::

:: Ingredients ::

300g gluten free, dairy free chocolate (I used Sweet Williams)

150g gluten free marshmallows (I used Eskal)

100g Jelly Bellys (I used fruity flavours like cherry, blueberry and peach)

3-4 table spoons desiccated coconut, plus extra to sprinkle on top.

:: Method::

1. Chop marshmallows into quarters, place in a bowl with Jelly Bellys and coconut.

2. Melt chocolate until it has a smooth, creamy consistency. Make sure not to burn it.

3. Pour melted chocolate into the bowl containing dry ingredients. Stir until mixed.

4. Pour into a lined tray and spread to desired thickness.

5. Refrigerated until set. Enjoy!

See? Super easy! And oh my gosh, so yummy! This afternoon I contemplated skipping gym, but realised that in order to be able to devour this rocky road I needed to go to the gym. Totally worth it.

:: Autumn 'Spring' Clean - Week Three - Main Bedroom ::

So ladies (and gentlemen?), I bring you the Week Three edition of the Autumn 'Spring' Clean. While I was cleaning/sorting our bedroom I realised it looks a lot like student accommodation in there. We have our clothes on metal racks and shelves as our only wardrobe is an antique and modern coat hangers are too wide for it (so now the wardrobe houses our shoes).

When we first moved in we decided not to hang any photos/prints on the wall because we intended to paint. And here we are, a few years later and still no paint on the walls! As a result, we only have a few photos around the house on hooks that were already there (and we even removed a bunch of hooks!). The result? Some very bare walls that are very noticeable in photos!

:: Main Bedroom - Before ::

We borrowed Mr LG's brother's amazing vacuum cleaner and did a huge anti-dust blitz on the room. Who knew under beds were so gross? We even vacuumed the dust/mites out of the mattress!

You can see a green patch - one of our potential colours (but not the winner).

:: Main Bedroom - After ::

See? Bare walls! Oh, and can I draw your attention to the dark teal colour the previous owners painted the top section of the walls and roof? We have ridiculously tall ceilings (12 foot), but when you walk into the main bedroom you feel like ducking a bit because it feels so small. I can't wait to bring some light back into this room one day!

Winter clothes are now washed and in my shelves/rack. I haven't quite given up all my Summer clothes, but it won't be long now!

The Hunger Games and an original Game Boy. Heck yes!

So, there you have it. That's my bedroom. Kind of boring, if I'm being honest. These before and after photos aren't as dramatic as I was hoping, but you wait. Oh, you just wait. Next week is my spare room, and that is a disaster zone.