little lovelies.

every week, i try and share a little list of lovely things that have happened throughout the week in my neck of the woods, to try and keep myself looking on the bright side of things.

over the weekend, i got to harvesting my first crop of onions!



they've turned out a little small, which may have been due to a lack of water... but is most likely due to the rock hard clay soil i planted them in...
i was hoping they'd help to break it up a bit, no luck there!
they've been a staple in salads this week though and they're super tasty and delicious!

during the week, i received some happy mail!



magdalena was having a clearance sale on instagram of some of her bits and bobs so i splurged and bought myself two packs, mostly for the fabric (for hexie-ing... need to get back to that soon!) but how lovely are those buttons? and that bias? and the lace? swoooooooooon.

monday night, i pulled my ballet shoes out of storage after deciding to take some ballet classes.



unfortunately, the class i can attend (in the evening, after work) is already full for the term! i'm on the list for next term though, and i've started yoga-ing in the mean time!
i'm following this yoga challenge to help me get started, though i'm resting on days when i'm feeling too sore... some of the days have been quite challenging already!

the one thing that has put the biggest smile on my face this week though, is this guy...



four straight days of temperatures above 40 degrees would have most certainly been unbearable without this little portable air conditioner... they were almost unbearable WITH it!
there are very few times that i am thankful that i work in a crappy shopping center, but this week was one of them!

what has made you smile this week? have you survived this heatwave? or is it cool where you are?

polishin' up.

as i mentioned on saturday, i picked up a gel polish kit last week.
on my morning off on friday, i had a bit of a play...



the instructions that come with the kit are quite straight forward.
i'm sure i would've been ok without them though, due to my experience in receiving gel polish manicures in the past.
in fact, the reason i stopped getting them, was that i'd had so many, i knew exactly what needed doing, and when the 'professionals' missed a step, the $35 manicure would barely last a week, let alone the 'up to 3 weeks' that is advertised.
super frustrating!!



the pack that i picked up (from hairhouse warehouse fyi, the special is on until the 28th of july) allowed you to pick two colours yourself.
i chose passion and seafoam. (full colour list here
i applied the seafoam on friday when i was having a play. because it was a very light pastel, i actually did 3 coats to make sure there was a nice even colour.



the finish came up quite well! i was really proud of myself!
it's not the best my nails have ever looked (with a professional job, tha is), but it's not the worst either!

the worst thing i found with this kit was the amount of time it took me!
i'm used to being able to cure one hand, while the other hand is painted (by someone else) but obviously, only having two hands, i couldn't do that myself!
also, the lamp is a bit smaller than the professional ones you come across in salons, so you have to cure your 4 long fingers first, and then the thumb. took a little longer but so far, the finish is worth the time!

the real test will be to see how long they last!

do you get gel polish manicures? have you ever tried it yourself?

getting a move on.

monday, i started running again.
tuesday, i could barely walk.
wednesday, i found this to read and it made me laugh and realise a little why i too love to run.
tomorrow, i'll run again.



one of my july goals was to get my butt moving again. for many months, i was a little running machine, and then i stopped. i don't remember exactly why, but i did and i've pretty much been missing it ever since...

do you run? do you find it therapeutic?

january.

i've decided not to do a big 2013 post... this list should keep me going!

so i'll just focus on january for now ;)

i'm taking full advantage of my new diary...



and the monthly calendars at the start of the diary...



and the list of "notes" on the side of the monthly calendar...



"notes" no more, that's a list for my monthly goals surely??

i feel like these goals are really achievable :D i'm 3 for 3 with breakfasts already, and 2 for 2 with taking my lunch to work
promising start, no?


what are your goals for this month?