Lulu's In Love

2008-05-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

I've been back from Sydney for a little while now. Had a really fun time, but Im glad to be home. For me personally, Melbourne is way better. Better shopping, restaurants, fashion, bars. Everything. And most Melbournians say this, so maybe we are biased but Im very proud to live in Melbourne.
Thank god it only takes an hour and 20mins to get there, because I am so terrified of flying. Any little bump of turbulence and I grip the seat, my palms going all sweaty and I picture in my mind the plane doing a nose dive, engines stopped, heading straight for the bottom of the ocean. LOL

The first thing to greet us in Sydney!

Right next door to our hotel was Cupcakes On Pitt Street. What a let down, all looks and NO flavour. Do not recommend this place.

In front of the Sydney Opera House. About to go to my sisters show, wearing one of her designs.

With my sister and Mum backstage at Rosemount Australia Fashion Week 2008

And look who I spotted front row at my sisters show - Bryan boy himself! To my reader Pepe, thanks for letting me know he was there! He is a real sweetheart, and had a gorgeous metalic Fendi Spy.

Relaxing after the show.

Getting ready to go to the Afterparty. Look at the mess behind me. This is not my room!! The party was shit, I hated it. Alot of wannabe losers that thought they were too good to even look at anyone. Please.This is by far the best place in Sydney. We stumbled upon this place while waiting for a table for dinner. It was across from where we were going to eat, so we went in for a pre dinner drink. Its called Bed - and the owner told us its only been open for a week. Its like the place in NY thats featured on Sex and the City. The couches are like beds, you take off your shoes and cosy up around the tables. You can see in the picture, the even provide little slots under the couch where you can place your shoes inside.

We absolutly loved it and if we had known about it earlier on in our trip, we would have gone again. Someone needs to bring this to Melbourne, I would be there every week. Oh and the food menu, being modern italian, sounded to die for. The decor was superb too and they had low playing jazzy music in the background. Wonderful! My outfit for bed. S&B jeans, new shirt from some random shop on Oxford St, bargain at $75.

In 'bed'.Went to Pizza Mario, from recommendations of people who lived in Sydney. If this is the best they got then its a poor effort. While it looks good, the dough was rather thick and chewy. Not enough flavour with herbs and such. Not enough vegetarian options, only 2 vegie pizzas. All in all, I can name off the top of my head atleast 5 pizza places in Melbourne that kick the arse off this place.

I Carusi, Woodstock, Ladro, Mr Wolf, Pizza e Bira .. I can go on...

So yeah, that was pretty much Sydney. Next event is my birthday - May 30th and I turn 27. eeks. Still feel like Im 22. I hate having my birthday in the middle of winter, no one can be stuffed going out. I dont want to go to a bar, probably just go out for dinner, thats what i like best and its my birthday so I can do what I want to.

xoxo

2008-04-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

Been a few weeks since my last post. Nothing really interesting been happening. Our unit got broken into last week, on a Sunday when we were out for 3 hours. We got home and the door was wide open, all I could think about was that my cats where going to be squashed on a road somewhere. They are indoor cats and especially Joffy, my ragdoll - he has no idea about what a car or anything outside is, ragdolls are strictly indoor, or outdoor enclosure.

Well thankgod they were so so scared, they were hiding under our bed. That is seriously all I cared about - I didnt care about what had been taken. Its all replaceable. They didnt take much anyway, its just a creepy feeling.

But anyways, enough of that. Some good news is that my sister, the fashion designer is going to be in the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in Sydney. She is up there now, and me, my husband, Mum, Aunty and 2 cousins are all going up for the weekend to watch her show and have some fun. Cant wait! I havent been to Sydney for about 10 years, not including 2 days I went up for work and all I saw was the Hotel Confrence Room and the Airport.

She has just had a fitting with the models who she is using for the show. They are provided by the organisers of RAFW. They are from Paris, Russia etc. and apparently they are emaciated. They are so skinny, they have no tits, no shape. She described them as looking like young children but only 6feet tall. All the designers are complaining because the clothes just hang and look terrible and they all need to alter and put in the clothes.

Here are some photos of her new collection. She got a professional photographer and her friends who should be professional models. Let me know what you think!

On Saturday night was our friends Engagement Party. They have been together for 12 years, so its about time! We had so much fun, great music, great venue.

Cant wait for the wedding - its in March and Pat is the best man. He was the best man in our wedding too. I'm just upset the photos are not the best quality. Because my memory card for my camera got stolen, we had to use Pats phone for photos.

My outfit - dress by my sister, shoes by Zoe Wittner, LV inclusion bangle. Got my makeup done at MAC.

Pat wearing - Ted Baker shirt, Ted Baker tie, Arthur Galan pants, Gucci belt, Hudson boots.

With the couple of the moment!

So please, leave your opinions on my sisters Spring/Summer 09 Collection!

Next blog will be all about our time in Sydney. Much love. xox

2008-04-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ive got problems. Bag problems.

As you should know, I got my LV black denim neo cabby for Christmas. I have had it for just 4 months. And yes, its practical, its got a shoulder strap, its easy to take care of. But Im not feeling it as much as I should. My reasons being, that it is too casual for me. I would prefer leather. Sometimes I feel the subtle LVprint, still clashes with my printed dresses/tops, even though it prob doesnt. Akhhhhhhhh.

Pat is going to kill me, because I cant stop thinking about the original bag that I wanted - the Suhali Lockit PM. Im an idiot. Now Im thinking of selling my denim bag, for prob $600 less then retail - to fund getting the Lockit. I will still need to put about another $1800 extra to get the Lockit, but my birthday is coming up on May 30th and I usually get money for that, plus what I have saved in my 'BAG FUND'. LOL

It can be done - but is Pat going to crack it? I dont want to upset him, but I need to tell him soon, because he will know once I list my bag on ebay. Im just dreading it. Because I have never lost the loving feeling of my bag before. This is terrible.

I should have known, that I was so in love with the Lockit, nothing will satisfy me till I get it.
If you cant remember, below is the LV Suhali Lockit - the original black bag I wanted.
Other news is that Pat and I will be going to Sydney. On Thur 1 May - Sun 4 May. My sister will be showcasing her label at Rosemont Australian Fashion Week! She is a part of the New Generation Shows. So exciting - but also such a stressful nervous time for her. She is busy working on her collection at the moment, getting minimal sleep. We will have fun though, because alot of my family is going up, all the cousins and my mum aswell.

I 'modelled' for her last range, not that Im tall enough to be a model, or the fact I have no desire to be one even if I could. But I guess the pics turned out ok, only because Im skinny enough. haha. She changed my hair and makeup that it doesnt even look like me! Heres a few shots:

Our house is going well, although we wont be in when I wanted to be - for my bday. (may 30) - prob be another month after that. We have plaster on our walls atleast, and it looks awesome now that you can see the shape of it all. Floorboards go on soon, we choose solid Grey Box. Then the fit out and decorating which is the fun part. Will update with pics when there is something interesting to see!!

Oh and thanks to all the lovely people who have left such nice comments for me, your all so sweet!! xox

2008-03-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

At home, feeling like shit, for once I am actually sick!

I hardly ever get sick, apart from the now regular monthly migrane that coincides with my monthly. Now for 3 days I have had a fever of 38.3, congested nose and head, sore throat and cough and fatigued. Im not whinging about it though, there are far worse things that I could have than a common virus - but Im glad I dont get sick often. It has been the best weather so far in Melbourne this week, with nice sunny days, and I dont want to go outside. Unbelievable.

I have started my winter shopping, but its quite depressing because I cant find anything like what Im picturing in my head or what looks like the things I want off the International catwalks. Might have to wait longer for more stock to hit stores.

The best thing I could find was a Decjuba sheer sleeve shirt that was $170 to $50! I was prepared to spend $300 for a nice colour shirt with sheer sleeves, thats all i wanted. And the best I could find was this one. I love the colour, the only thing is that its too big for me, so i have to wear it with something underneath or over the top like this:

The shirt underneath my Zimmerman shift dress, opaque tights and Zomp aqua heels - I could have worn black heels, but I liked the contrast in colours.

I also recently acquired my latest love from Louis Vuitton using my credit note. I got the black Inclusion bangle! Love the look of the gold symbols against the black, and I can use it all the time because it goes with everything. Cant believe they had the small size in the colour I wanted.

Right place at the right time I guess. And it would not have been if we didnt go with Pats sister, husband and the kids to the Melbourne Aquarium that day....

He wore himself out and had demanded his blanky and dummy!!What a cutie!!

Also, went out again for my sisters 24th birthday, here are some shots at the bar. It was a friday night and no one could really be stuffed, not even my sister, so we had an early one and got home at 2.30. (actually left at 1.30 - but I drove an hour to take everyone home!)

Me and the birthday girl.

News with my house, is that the inside plaster should be starting within a week - I can not wait for this! Here are some pics of the current outside of our house. The landscape architect is coming up with plans for our garden soon, which Im excited about, he has some awesome ideas.

Still ALOT to be done!!

Thats not our real front door. We have picked it and its the same colour as the charcoal render - with 10 thin glass slots, looks perfectly suited for our house.

Our courtyard area, with the 7metre bifold door, opposite this will be a pool against the perimeter fence. Well, that is what we are thinking, but things always change!

2008-03-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

OK, so its been about 2 weeks since my haircut, and I think now its at a better length then when I first got it done. I'm loving it now.

Saturday night, we had my cousins girlfriends 21st birthday party. It was at the Metropolitan, which was where Pat and I had our engagement party 3 years ago. Such a nice place.

I wore a dress that my sister made, the material is a beautiful silver, goldish brocade with embossed flowers. Stunning. And I got to wear my new black heels, they are very comfortable actually. Pat wore Francis Kwamee shirt, Absolut Joy jeans, RARE leather cuff and Cesare Paciotti shoes. He looked gorgeous as always.

The birthday girl looked stunning with a dress from Rosemin, and my cousin got her Louis Vuitton for her birthday. Very spoilt. She got the Montaigne clutch in beige epi leather, and a Vernis keyholder in Pomme. And also a ring from a jeweller, dont know what its like, I will be seeing it tonight probably.

Its my sisters birthday today and I just finished making a carrot cake to bring over. She turns 24. Thats the age I got married! and she has no plans to tie the knot anytime soon, if ever, as she says. We are very different, we dont look anything alike, we fight occasionally but always get over it. We are going out for her birthday this friday night, should be good - another crazy night partying with the cousins!

The cousins!

with the birthday girl!

With Bel, another one of my cousins girlfriends. Shoe pic!

Me and em.

Facebook pic. LOL . Im sure I can see a touch of cellulite there, but who cares, its normal!! Even skinny chicks get it and if my chicken legs get it, everyones got it!

My gorgeous sis.

Snack at 1am. Best fries in Melbourne. Coneheads on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. What are you waiting for???!!!

2008-02-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here is my new haircut:

Im not 100% sure on it. When I first got it done, I loved it, but now a few weeks after, Im really missing my longer hair! I dont know, at least my hair does grow really fast.

The 18th of February was our 2 year wedding anniversary. I was really surprised that Pat actually picked something out for me himself. He usually for every occasion gives me money and says to go buy something for myself. So this was a real change!

Ok so here are what he picked out for me.

Louis Vuitton Violette Vernis Agenda PM. I have been talking about this for a while, cant believe he went out and got it for me! The vernis is so shiny and pretty. It also has 3 credit card slots, and a pocket to put money, so I can even use it as my going out wallet.

He also got me the Multicolor Pastilles Keycharm. Photo courtesy of tpf. I actually returned it and got a credit note though, because as beautiful as it is, it fits on my red bag, but not on my neo cabby, so I dont think i will get enough use out of it.

So now I have a $545 credit note for LV. I have a year to use it, but i have already been thinking of what I can buy. Some things I like are:

Vernis Key and Change holder. Would prob get it in the violette to match my agenda.

Epi key and change holder. This colour is the epi version of the vernis Violette.

Suhali double coil bracelet. If it fits!

Suhali koala cuff bracelet, again if it fits!

Epi Passy PM in ivorie, i think its time for a white bag. OH god, it just never ends, I always need a new bag!! LOL

Other news is that I cant wait for the winter fashion to start taking over the stores. Im over summer, and the fact that we have not been having rather hot weather is depressing me. I would just rather it be winter. I have not even had much of a chance to wear alot of my summer clothes. But atleast in winter I can layer them with tights, skivvys, scarves and boots.

Here are some of my favourite looks at the moment, which I will translate to my own style.

Marni

Love the printed dress with tights, could add a scarf and coat easily.

Etro

I have to find a sheer sleeve blouse! I love this.

Badgley Mischca

Lots of layering, and also like lots of neutrals and a pop of colour in there.

Phillip Lim 3.1

Loving the blouse and highwasited bright coloured pants. Also the chunky belt buckle is hot.

Burberry

So easy - dress, tights, scarf, boots and coat. This will be my staple winter look.

Marni

Love it!!!

Marni

Once again, fabulous layering, and love the different shades of pink, together. Im also going for more block colouring instead of prints.

Richard Nickol

This is classic and gorgeous. This inspires me to find a gorgeous blouse for my black Zimmerman dress, and Im all set.

Now I need to go and buy all my basics for layering..Im so excited for winter fashion, grey skies and thunder is not going to stop me!

2008-02-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

I was recently at my hairdressers, and got my hair cut to just below my shoulders. I had bad split ends and need a change anyway. But at the moment thats all it is, there is no style, although my fringe is back to being on the side. It needs to be cut shorter.

So I have been looking at hair styles, and think Im going to do something like Nicole Richies do. Paris hair style is nice too, but I think Nicoles has the winning edge for me. I have got some pics, so what do you think??? My hair does grow fast anyway, but Im booked in for the 18th Feb!

Ohwell, I will show the pics to my hairdresser and see what happens - so stay tuned!

2008-02-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

First of all, its absolutly pissing down rain here in Melbourne. Wahhh..was supposed to go to Market to buy some fresh vegies and who can be stuffed going anywhere in this weather?? Its supposed to be summer and its more like winter - typical Melbourne. I feel sorry for tourists coming here.

Yeah sure, we need the rain because we are in drought, blah blah. I want to enjoy summer damnit! This is ridiculous.

Ok rant over.

Australia Day was January 26th. On the Monday we went up to the beach house for one day because I bloody had to work nights the whole weekend. Pats dad booked a beautiful restaurant for lunch - Mont Alto. Its in the hills and has a vineyard aswell. Lunch was superb, and we went for a stroll after it, they had an art exhibiton on. There were sculptures scattered all over the place and you had to walk to find them all. Plus the weather was perfect, a sunny 26 degrees.

Us in front of the restaurant.

My entree - Zuchinni flowers risotto, possibly the BEST risotto I have ever had!

Pats entree - Prawn and crab souffle

Pats main - Some sort of grilled beef - he said it was one of the best he has had

My main - Spinach & Ricotta cannelloni with tomato chutney paste

Dessert - Crepe filled with peanut butter custard, chocolate sauce and toffee icecream. Very delicious but too sweet and rich! Too sweet for me is saying something.

My terribly cheeky 3 yr old nephew

Of course, Im his bestest Aunty in the world!

Grape vines went for miles. And the restaurant claimed that most of the vegies used were from their own garden. It is rated as the best Mornington Peninsula restaurant in this years Good Food Guide and I think it deserves the rating. For 3 courses it is $70 a head. For 2 courses $60. Not including drinks. This is great value for the food you get and I cant wait to go back!

2008-01-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

It has been just over a month since my Grandmothers death. Her house is for sale and so goes the task of her children sorting out who keeps what. Its not a nice thing when there are 8 of them and quite a few dont speak to each other. LOL

Dramas aside, I was there one day a few weeks ago and I was looking through her bedside table. I saw her glasses case and looked inside, and couldnt believe that there was a picture of me, from when I was about 15, taped to the inside of the case!! It was so cute, to think that she wanted to see this photo of me. I was clearly a much loved favourite. So now I have it and it reminds me of that. I also have her Padre Pio candle and one of her scarves. Mum also got some other keepsakes, but is keeping them at her place for now, since there is no room for anything in our unit.

Yes that is a photo of me!!

The beautiful colours in my Grandmothers scarf.

I recently made some new purchases:

Wittner shoes. $170. Cant wait to wear these babies! Will post pics when I do.

Gucci scarf, was suprisingly on sale from $445 to $220! 100% silk and is so soft. Im really getting into scarves at the moment and want a collection of them. This was originally going to be a present for someone, but that someone did something that made me and alot of others upset. So they didnt deserve this beautiful gift anymore, so I decided to keep it for myself.

Mimco necklace. Its in the latest Harpers Bazzar magazine for something like $250 - Whah, I got it on sale for $50.Sportsgirl top. Im loving tops with ruffles at the top, or tie up bows at the neck, like this. Because my cousin works at the shop, I got it for $60 instead of $90. Perfect for tucking into highwaisted shorts, jeans and skirts.Saba 100% wool ruffle front top. $120. Didnt even realise my cats head made it into the shot!

We also went to the Australian Open tennis a few weeks ago with some friends. We saw Rodger Federer absolutly smash some guy I cant even remember. The match went for 1 hour and it was boring as hell.

The night lights in Melbourne.

This weekend is going to be busy for me. Besides the fact I am working fri - mon starting at 6am, I have lots of things planned. Fri night its the regular 'girl cousins' dinner. Sat after work we are going to the Pool and Spa expo, then my mums for dinner. Sun after work, going to the Pet and Animal expo! I love going to this, seeing all the beautiful breeds of dogs, cats, mice, ferrets..everything pets!

Until then, adios.

2008-01-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

New Years week was going to be hot and dry weather. So NY Day, we drove down to the beach house. In the house with us was Pats parents and also his sister with her family. Its good because the house is big for a beach house.

The first day, Pats dad does a BBQ. He is famous for his BBQs because he buys enough meat to fill a football stadium. LOL. Now I dont eat any meat except for some chicken, and I eat fish like tuna in the can, white fillets of fish, grilled prawns. Nothing too fishy. Im starting to get turned off chicken. I have stopped ordering it at restaurants, and only eat it when I cook it at home so I know its freerange. Trying to find freerange organic near me, but its almost non existent. So these pictures are for you meat lovers:

If your wondering why I dont eat meat anymore. Number 1 is the taste. I just dont like it. A secret - a few weeks ago with Pat I tried a pork dimsim from the fish and chip shop. One bite and I spat it out..I hated the taste, it was disgusting. I used to eat meat all the time, but stopped about 6 years ago, and now Im just not accustomed to the taste anymore.

Also dont like the fact that if I went to an abboitare (sp) and saw the whole process of animals getting slaughtered and then cut into pieces, I would be sick to the stomach. So ignorance is bliss and people choose not to think of this and just eat the meat as is on the plate, not thinking of where it has come from. Also the fact that the animal, unless free range, has had a terrible life stuck in a tiny pen. How awful.

Anyway, enough of that and back to our short break!! When we are at the beach, unless its really hot, we rarely actually go to the beach, its more a 'foodie' trip. We eat and eat. The next day we went to La Baracca, not for pizzas but the restaurant. We had lots of good wine, my favourite Moscato is from here.

The antipastos - proscuitto,marscopone and rocket flat breads, red onion and 4cheese pizza, rosemary grissini sticks with red pesto pate and olives.

Pats entree - Beef carpaccio with fennel and orange saladMy entree - Fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. (Caprese salad)

Pats main - Ricotta and herb gnocchi with duck ragu

My main - Penne with tomato, mozzarella and basil - same combo as my entree.

haha , the dessert we shared. Took the pic too late. But it was Summer berry pudding!

Outside seating, with views of the grapevines.

Other random shots from our short break:

The wooden man!

I practically live on icecream in summer, and here I am trying to eat it while making sure none spills on my new LV bag!

Pat and his bloody Guitar Hero!!!

Pale skinned me on the beach!!

The end. xox

Happy New Year - 2008 is here!!!!!

2008-01-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

Wow - cant believe how fast that year flew past. It does get faster and faster the older you get.

We had a really fun New Years this year. Went to Number 8 Restaurant at Crown for dinner and they put on a great one. The tables were set out beautifully with big cocktail glasses as the centrepiece, there were top hats for the guys and fascinaters for the girls to wear, and all the streamers and whistles you could want to make as much noise as possible. We got to see the fireworks, as the restaurant has on outdoor section which is on Southbank.

Then we went back to Royce Hotel on St Kilda Road. Crown was fully booked, by the time we wanted to last minute book a hotel. And I thought it would be good to try a new 5 star hotel in Melbourne, since we are always at Crown. Well what a joke, I would rate that hotel 3.5 stars. For 5 different reasons.

1. Supposed to be valet parking available, but when we got there, no valet parking left. What the? Pat had to drive around St Kilda Road looking for a street parking. And the lady at Reception is like, 'This sides a 1 hour parking, that sides clearway..blah blah..'. So Im thinking, yeah well, if we cant park - we aint staying lady!!

2. Our room was suitable for disabled people. They should have let us know this in advance and we would not have made the booking. The reason for this is that the shower is low, so you can sit down. (People in wheelchairs). We couldnt have a shower the next morning,until we got home!!

3. No vanity in the bathroom, just a sink, not even any drawers - where the hell are you supposed to put your toiletries and cosmetics????

4. Ordered breakie for the morning. My eggs didnt arrive, only Pats. Had to call reception. There was no spoon for my cereal, had to use the teaspoon we used for the coffee.

5.On the breakfast order it says when you order tea, you get lemon and honey with it. I got a teabag and no lemon/honey. So I had to put water in the kettle we had in the room, fill it with water from the bathroom and make my own tea!!! When Im paying to get the tea already made. That really pisssssed me off, cos I was looking forward to it.

From a 5 star hotel - I dont think so. These things should not happen. Maybe Im being fussy, but I know how good 5star+ hotels work and this is not the way it is.

The owners should go to Dubai and learn from them. The best hotel we stayed in was the Jumerah Beach Hotel in Dubai. The service was immaculate and so was everything else. You were treated like royalty. Amazing!

OH and service wasn't great at all. Mehhh - my advice, dont go to Royce Hotel.

Anyway, enough silly ranting - heres the pics!

My sister made this dress. Steve Madden patent heels.

The table decorationAntipasto - Grilled whiting in tomato juice. Also had bread with caramelised onion dip and pesto dip. My main meal was an asparagus and grapefruit salad - didnt think it was worth taking a pic of. LOL

Handmade pumpkin raviolli with pinenuts and cant remember what else on top!

Goats cheese with cranberry paste, truffle oil and sultanas.

Raspberry tart, cream and semifreddo

The boys with the Cabaret dancers.

Mmmm. Jam donuts all round!

This New Year, I have a few things I want to happen.

Our new house to be finished firstly. I also really want to start Yoga but because of my work timetable all over the place working nights and mornings, its hard to get into any kind of routine. I just dont do any exercise what so ever, I can hardly move my ankles if I try and run! LOL They need to be oiled like the Tin Man or something.

I would love to go to Japan, but that depends on when our house gets finished. We also might be going to China, for Pats company for business, but thats not for sure yet.

I want to adopt a dog when we move into our new house, possibly a greyhound - they are very docile, gentle family dogs who require little exercise (perfect for me). Racing greyhounds are given up if they dont do well on the track or if they are at retiring age of usually 3-4.

www.greyhoundsafetynet.org will tell you more!

Dont care about advancing in my career, I would like to get pregnant at the end of this new year, and then goodbye working. Hahaha, I have never been the type to care about my career - dont know why, guess its not for everyone. Im not a competitive person at all, so maybe this has got to do with it. Being a mum is a full time job anyway, and thats fine with me!

One lemming acquired...99 to go...

2007-12-29T16:36:00.000-08:00

Yay! I have finally got my black everyday bag. I got my LV black denim Neo Cabby MM for Christmas.

I love how this bag has a shoulder strap, most LVs dont. And you can take the shoulder strap off and use it hand held if you want it to look more dressy. I also love the mustard suede inside lining, very luxurious! I have also not seen any fakes of these bags, but even if I do, I know mines real and I love it, I didnt buy it for other people, so thats the main thing.

This is the ad campaign, for my bag featuring Scarlett Johanssen.

Totally was not expecting that. My very generous hubby, wanted to buy it for me, so who am I to say no! LOL . Rang up and made sure my SA was there, and she was, she is the nicest SA ever, I will only buy from her. I dont even bother going to the LV on Collins St, they are so pushy and only interested in you if your going to buy from them, that day.

While, I have gone to the Crown store, numerous times without purchasing anything, just talking to my SA and getting information about different styles, and she has been lovely every time. She is just so gorgeous looking aswell, she looks singaporean or chinese. I must ask her next time. Just stunning!

Other news is that its bloody hot in Melbourne all this week, high 30s, low 40s! This is great weather, I love the heat. For New Years there are a bunch of us going to a restaurant at Crown for dinner and we are staying at a hotel nearby. Crown was fully booked by the time we tried to get in, about 2 days ago..whoops!!

Then New Years Day we head off to our beach house, with weather like this its going to be absolutly packed at the beach. Plenty of suncream for me, or im going to burn to a crisp! Infact, these days, anyone will burn to a crisp in the Australian sun, in this heat, all you need is 15 minutes, even if you have olive skin. Its really terrible.

Ahwell, everyone enjoy your break and dont drink and drive!!! xox

2007-12-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you and your families and may you have a happy, safe and healthy New Year!

Ok, so now, its Boxing Day today - anyone going to brave the sales? I never do, but this year I was contemplating it only because I want Christmas decorations and tree for next year in our new house. All I have is a little clay Santa, and its depressing because I love all the cute decorations you can get. But I think I may wait atleast a few days - I cant deal with pushing, greedy, rude people going to fight over that last $2 pen or something. LOL

On Christmas Eve, my sister got a phone call from her friend that there were some dumped kittens left on someones doorstep that she knew. How people can do this I dont know? Would be so much easier if you had your cat desexed - that way you would prevent unwanted kittens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it obviously shows they dont care about their cat at all, because its not easy for them to keep having litters of kittens and the kittens getting taken away too early. Its very sad.

So my sister picked one up, its only 6 weeks, way too skinny, its bones are poking out all over the place, but you cant tell just by looking because it has longish hair. It has fleas but has a very friendly nature and has already attached itself to my sister, thinking she is now her mum.

If you are thinking about getting a pet this year/new year, why not seriously consider adopting? There are so many benefits, your saving an animal from death row, its way cheaper then a pet shop, adults are just as cute as babies and easier to deal with and alot are already house trained and have had basic training. One of my favourite sites to browse through gorgeous animals needing homes is:

http://www.petrescue.com.au/

Back to Christmas, yesterday we went out for lunch with Pats family, to the Waterfront resturant on the pier in Port Melbourne. Such a beautiful spot, and its surrounded by water, really lovely. Food was good and service was spot on.

My gorgeous nephew Luke, now about 7 weeks old.

And my other gorgeous nephew, with a big sore on his lip from falling off his new bike! And look at his cool Ed Hardy top that his favourite Aunty bought him! ;-)

With Pats cousin, she is so cute!

After the restaurant we went past my parents house, mum had some snack foods ready, because who wants a big meal after a Christmas lunch.

The girls, with Christmas cracker hats!!

And today, Boxing Day, we are going back to pats parents for lunch, then visiting some family, then go past my parents house and check up on the kitten! If the Vet is open today, we will take it in.

I really cant be bothered doing anything today, my house needs a clean, but who has time for that at the moment. Well, I guess I would if I got off this computer!! haha. Till New Years, have a good one.

2007-12-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

Rest In Peace

Nonna

18/12/07

This is us with her on her 90th Birthday party in July this year.

My 90year old Grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep. She had 9 children, 24 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren!

My sister and I were very close to her as we saw her all the time and were 2 of her favourites!

Glad that I have lots and lots of memories of her and she is now with the angels in peace.

Christmas is approaching!

2007-12-13T01:40:00.001-08:00

I love this time of the year. Christmas for me means a time for giving, a time for spending quality time with family. I love getting together with the family and stuffing ourselves on food and drink to be merry! Its so corny but its true. I especially love giving presents to others, I try and pick out something that they will truly like, something this is in their interests and they can enjoy. Giving gifts to my nephew and young cousins is a joy too, because it reminds me of when I was that age and you were just so excited to get all these great new things! I wish I could truly believe in Santa Clause again!

A few weeks ago I was watching some program on tv and it was about The Smith Family and how they need donated gifts for the children who do not receive anything on Christmas day because of many different circumstances. I really thought about it and it broke my heart, so from this year and every year on I have pledged to collect as many toys as possible from work colleagues, family and friends and get a huge collection then donate them to the Smith Family Charity. I think it can really make a difference. If you are interested, you can do the same, you can purchase toys off their website and it goes directly to their Christmas Collection. Pass on the word!

http://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/index.cfm

You dont need to spend a fortune, what is an extra $20 in the grand scheme of things??!

2007-12-09T03:08:00.000-08:00

Been a little while since my last post. Well on Thursday night, Pat and I went to see The Phantom of The Opera at the Princess Theatre. It was just magical! We both loved it and the fact that we had middle of the stage, 10 rows from the front seats made it even better.

Unbelievable singing and costume designs and not one boring moment. Probably the best show I have ever seen, it was such a moving story.

And now I can't get the songs out of my head!!

This morning, being a Sunday, when Im not working we either go out for breakfast or I make something special. Decided to make pancakes, a set of plain ones and some with sliced bananas in them. Mmmm so good! Oh and never from the bottle pancakes here - always from scratch with REAL Maple Syrup please.! ;-)

The Banana pancake when cooked.

With a good dose of maple syrup and ice cream.

Also made a nice dinner the other night, its one of my specialities. Sweet potato gnocchi baked in the oven with parmesan and oregano. Yummmm!

Other news is that my 90 year old grandmother, "Nonna" as we say. Is most likely going to pass away very shortly. She has dimentia and its just taking over her now, that and old age I guess. I dont think she will last more than 2 days. Its sad, but at the same time, she has been able to live a great life and we should celebrate that, rather then be in mourning.

Still got heaps of Christmas shopping to do, so I wont be doing any shopping for myself till after Christmas. I dont really need anything at the moment anyways. Except I would love a colourful Hermes scarf, and a Hermes KDT bracelet...but lets leave that till next year shall we!

2007-11-29T00:52:00.000-08:00

On Sunday the 25th, we had Pats cousins Engagement Party. I got to wear my new Zimmermann dress, love it so much!

The party itself, was more just a casual lunch, so I felt overdressed, but this was more because of the place it was at. Im not going into details because I dont like talking bad about peoples special occasions. But let me just say that the food was horid. The place was a buffet all you can eat. Personally, I would rather spend alot of money and get the food I like bought to me.

All I had for lunch was about 4 cold roasted potatoes. (and no - not whole potatoes - only a cube.) And semi cold, dry plain rice.....

The place is called Mesh and is located at Crown Promenade and I highly recommend you never visit this disaster, let alone have an occasion there.

but anyway, here are some recent pics.

Zimmermann dress, Sophie Kyron necklace, Nine West embellished clutch, SM heels

Pat wearing RARE embroided rope shirt, Absolut Joy jeans, Cesare Paciotti shoes - at the Engagement

Latest pic of Joffy - check out those eyes!!!Holding baby Luke, in my work uniform and praying he wouldnt spew up on it. LOL

Well, we are currently training our cats to get used to a harness and lead. As they are totally indoor cats at the moment, I thought it would be good to put them on the lead and bring them outside for a little. The reason why I dont want them outside not on a lead is many reasons. Mainly because I dont want my cats to be squashed pancakes on the road. Dont want Joffy to be stolen, dont want them to get into fights with other cats. etc. many more reasons but lets not get into that!

However, when we move to our new address, I have already planned out what we are going to do for the cats. We have a cat enclosure, its a Caboodle and I let the cats go in this at the moment, but for now, I have to let them in and out.

This is what it looks like ^^^. Has a cat ramp, staircase and cubby house. Everything is waterproof too. So in our new house, this will be on the side of the house where the laundry is and we will have a catflap from the laundry window to here so they can go in and out when they please. I will also keep them locked in the laundry at night. Im also planning to get a Council Permit to get 9 feet fences at the back and sides all around the house,(a standard fence is 6feet) so the cats can go outside and not be able to jump the fence, so it will be safe for them. So we will also have a cat flap in the main part of the house. They will be so happy to have so much room and be in and out when they please.

2007-11-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

Lastnight was Chadstone shopping VIP night. Which basically means all the shops in
Chadstone Shopping Centre have a minimum 15% off everything. For those who dont know, this is the biggest shopping center in Melbourne and possibly all of Australia - dont know if Sydney or Qld have bigger?

I hate how they say VIP night though, because basically anyone can go, you dont need to be a VIP or anything! LOL

I went with my mum, she loves going to Chaddy. Big shopper that one. Not last night though, she didnt find much at all - where as I went a bit crazy.

So here is my haul:

Santini shoes $80 - from $100

Nine West silver jewel Box clutch $75 from $90. Loved this and all the Sales Assistants were like, Ohh your lucky thats the lucky last in Melbourne. Good, because I was wanting it for a little while, and my mum bought me this one - for Christmas.

The Zimmerman bandage dress in black . Ist pic is in the white as worn on the catwalk. OH MY - I fell in love with this when I put it on. It just hugged you in and looked like the perfect LBD. Its not as short on me as the model, which I prefer, its like a perfect shift dress and I think this will last me years if I take care of it. Its a very nice material, like a knit, not an ugly lycra. It was $383 from $450. Its also easy to dress up or down - cant wait to wear this baby!

MNG (Mango in other countries) dress $47 from $60. Think it will look nice belted and with my orange Zomp sandals. Hmmm..

Also got a Seduce black highwaisted knee length skirt for $100 from $130, which I really needed, fit really nicely. And thats it for me. I had a great night. Got home and Pat was like - 'How much shit did you buy?' LOL Because I had a million bags. Ahwell, I love everything and dont regret any of my purchases, so its all good.

On another note, my cats are such cuties - here is a recent pic of them.What absolute angels - they love sleeping together, untill Joffy becomes cheeky and starts giving Sweety abit of a nip around the ears, then she cracks it and gets out of the basket and he is so happy with himself that he has the basket all to himself. Hes a little shit!

OH and I have made up my mind - the LV neo cabby is definetly going to be mine soon. I need that bag pronto!!!

The new lemming!

2007-11-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, Im pretty excited but very confused at the same time.

All these months I have had my heart set on the LV Suhali Lockit. But yesterday, I went to the LV at Crown with Pat and I tried it on and he said, 'Its too dressy for everyday, you might aswell use your Chanel.'. Damn.

So, my lovely sales assitant Grace, who helped me last time, told me to try on the Neo Cabby Denim MM in black. She is absolutly gorgeous, and knows everything about the bags. Well, Pat loved it and I did too! It retails in Australia for AUD $2090.

What I love about the bag:

Can wear over the shoulder or hand held.

LV monogram is very faint, you can hardly see it.

Lovely mustard fabric inside with a phone holder and small pocket

Perfect size for me

Can be dressed up or down, great for everyday

Main strap is adjustable/removable

What Im worried about with this bag:

The only thing is that its not leather, its a heavily treated denim, with leather handles. Worried that it will get dirty over time, but I guess I take alot of care with my bags, so should be ok?!

Here are some pics - please tell me what you think! Although, I prob will get it, because it really is a perfect day bag and now I cant stop thinking about it. Thats when you know, its the one!

This photo courtesy of TPF. Over the shoulder.

Hand held.

L.xox

The Saturday Night - Pats 28th at Longroom.

2007-11-18T01:20:00.000-08:00

Saturday night was the party celebration for Pat and my cousin Michaels 28th birthdays. We normally get all the cousins together and go to Longroom on Collins Street. Love it there because its more of an older crowd, has a Sushi bar on one side and Spanish tapas on the other, lots of booths with couches good music most of the time.

My husband - hahaa made him pose for this. Wearing De Puta Madre shirt, Absolut Joy jeans, grey patent shoes, Rare leather cuff.

Detail of the back of his shirt.

The birthday boys!

Us.

Me and my sister, with our awesome Uncle.

With gorgeous S.

My hunny cousin Em, S and me.

In the booth!

It was a great night, but we were both stuffed from the night before, so we left at 2am. An early one! My sister and a few of my other party animal cousins got home at 7. pfft how can they be stuffed. LOL.

So me and Pat got home and we were starving so we scoffed big packs of Twisties and Cheezels and Burger Rings!!! Yum Yum. I think this is the best part of the night sometimes. Cozying up with Pat and food..what more could I want??!!

xoxox

Start of the weekend - Friday Night

2007-11-18T00:39:00.000-08:00

Got lots to update, have had a massive weekend.Pats birthday was on a monday, but it was this weekend that we actually celebrated it.

So we ended up going to Rockpool by Neil Perry. It was booked for 9pm, but I booked a hotel room at Crown Towers for that night, but thought it was good to get there earlier so we could relax before we went for dinner. This was all a surprise to Pat, he knew we were going somewhere for dinner. Didnt know where too and didnt know that we would be staying the night at Crown.

My outfit - Review silk ruffle top, high waist skirt, black patent Steve Madden heels, Chanel bag

So it was Friday, I had the day off from work and I packed our things in an overnight bag, and put it in his car boot before he got home from work. Then when we rocked up to Crown, he was like, 'Rockpool.' But then I pulled up to the Hotel lobby and hes like, ' What are you doing?' And I said, "Open the boot and get our overnight bag, we are staying the night!' He was totally shocked and was so happy to be surprised like that! I was quite proud of myself. hahahaha.

The room was amazing, we actually got upgraded and they sent us up complimentry Champagne and Chocolates because we said it was his birthday! So that was lovely.
The hotel room was most likely bigger then our unit! It had 2 huge plasmas and another tv in the bathroom. The bed is huge, must be a King.

Pat loves the AUTO timer on his camera phone!

We went to the Casino about 40 mins before dinner and played $50 on Roulette, we ended up winning $150, which went towards paying our dinner - so that was good!!

Really recommend Rockpool, I love how they change the menu daily. And it really is daily because the menu is a piece of paper, printed with the days date. Of course they have meals that are always there - like the meat, but most things change. They also had a few vegetarian options, which is something I always look out for. Service was perfect, atmosphere was romantic, albeit a little too dark. Loved how you could see the chefs cooking the meals. Loved everything about it really - even though it is pricey, I thought it was worth it.

Pics came out dark-because this place is almost pitch black dark! Also I took the flash off because I didnt want people to look at me taking pics of the food.This is Lobster salad with hazenlut and lime foam - $38

Woodfired asparagus, tomato and ricotta bruscetta - $19

Really, really dark, but its a $60 sirloin steak! Pat said one of the best he has had.

King prawns marinated with chilli, oregano, garlic, coriander and lemon - perfection - best prawns I have ever had. - $47

Blueberry and burnt butter tart - $16

Passionfruit Pavlova - $16

We absolutly stuffed ourselves, but it didnt stop us getting a nice breakfast the next morning.!

My strawberry pancakes with fresh orange juice - yummyy!!!

xoxo

2007-11-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

Its my hubbys birthday on Monday 12th November. Now he is telling me, not to worry getting him a gift because we are saving to buy furniture and things for our new house. But I think I can still get him something to surprise him. Im also thinking of getting his dad to get a room at Crown Casino Hotel for us on the weekend. He is a Mahogony Room Member so he gets rooms for free. (well, paid for by the points he gets when he gambles, so technically he has paid for it!)

And I have booked dinner at Rockpool on the friday night. But all I could get was 9pm. Always packed, but this will be the first time we try it and I cant wait, I will have to take pics of the meals. Check out the website to see what Im on about:

http://www.rockpoolmelbourne.com/rpm_home.aspx

So Im not going to tell Pat about this, he will be nicely surprised, because Im going to secretly pack his clothes and put them in the boot of his car before he gets home from work that Friday. And then I will drive, and he wont know whats going on when we rock up to the hotel valet.

Here is a pic of what the front of our house will look like. Except our garage door wont be ugly like that - thats all we could choose! Pat built the house from the plans onto a 3D programme, so we could see exactly how big rooms would be and if any changes were needed, it came in really handy because we have changed HEAPS. The panel that is light grey with 3 slot windows is actually made from Alucabond, which is aluminium panels.

Heres the back view. We are going to have a 7x4 metre pool in the courtyard. There is a 7metre long bifold door that opens onto this area. The upstairs balcony is going to be decked and have an outdoor table/chairs for eating out when nights are warm and balmy.

Can not bloody wait!!! So far the house is at lock up stage, electricians, plumbers and outside renderers are all working on it at the moment.

Our Weekend Away..Interupted!

2007-11-05T03:23:00.000-08:00

So in Melbourne on the first Tuesday of every November is the so called 'Race That Stops The Nation.' The Melbourne Cup - our most acclaimed horse race. So for Melbourne its a long weekend. We have a beach house that we go to in summer and even though the weekend forecast was Rain,rain ,rain...we decided to get away and go to the comforts of the beach house. We invited our good friends, Marty and Simona. We went up on Sunday and planned to leave on Tuesday.

First stop was T'Gallant Winerie also known as La Baracca Trattoria, which is the restaurant part of the winerie. It is in Main Ridge and is so beautiful, we love the pizzas, which you can only purchase in slabs, but are very thin crusted so they go down quite easily. My husbands other friend, who has a beach house close to us, also joined us for pizza and wine.

Wine of choice was a sweet dessert wine, 2006 Moscato.

There were 3 types of pizza on offer, and needless to say we wanted all of them.

They were Salami, Wild Mushroom and Gorgonzola and Tomato, feta, olives and rocket.

Me and my husband!
The girls The guys
Even though it poured all day non stop, it was so lovely. The place is very cosy and made even better by the guy singing and playing guitar the whole time we were there. God my hair turned to such a frizzy mess with that bloody rain though... LOL

Great food, wine and company makes for a great day!

o eventually we get back to the beach house, we pester the guys to go to the shops and buy us some mags - Cosmo, Shop Till U Drop and Marie Claire. so while we ponder over lovely dresses and have to buy necklaces, the guys play some games of Billiards. Till we all get hungry. And being a sunday, nothing is open down there except fast food places so the guys go get us Nandos. Love Nandos - my regular is a Chicken burger with pineapple, onions, cheese and no mayo.

About 10.30pm, Marty and Sim leave because he has to work the next day and they plan on coming back up after the next day and sleep over for Tuesday. (Its only 1hr 20mins away from Melbourne)

So me and my Mr snuggle up and watch the movie Hurricane - I was crying practically the whole time. my god, if you havent seen this film - you NEED to - its brilliant. And I will say that Denzel Washington is my fave actor. He is superb.

We wake in the morning to the phone ringing...we fell asleep on the couch. It is my husbands sister and she is in labour, about to have a baby!! The baby that decides he doesnt want to go anywhere until his Aunty and Uncle are somewhere!!!!

So we pack up our gear, but have to take a breakfast stop before we leave for Melbourne.

The beautiful drive through Main Ridge, going to the Strawberry Farm. Love the Australian bush. Destination: Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm
Pic turned out a bit blurry, but you get the idea. They sell strawberry liquer, creme, jam, gelati, chutney, choc dipping sauce, lollies, pick your own berries...etc

This is the reason we come here: The fresh homemade scones with jam and cream, and a pot of tea or coffee. I got organic Jasmine, can you see the pot with a strawberry tea cosy!
Fresh Strawberry smoothie

So off we went again...and our nephew had been born. We got to see him half an hour after he had been born..what a cutie!!! Check him out -

Awww, he is still all swollen and came out abit purple! But what a little cutie. Luke Anthony is his name. And well, he is definetly worth having our weekend interupted for!!

L.
xox

Some of my latest outfits...

2007-11-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

I love taking pics of my outfits, just a reference for me to see if they looked ok and to remember them for future outings. I need this especially at the moment, because my closet is so small, I can hardly see my clothes - they are all squished together and some are in stuffed in drawers and its chaos. so I forget what clothes I have.

This will thankfully change when I move to my new house and get a MASSIVE wardrobe in the bedroom and then another whole room for more clothes and stuff. Plus, my husband has more clothes/shoes then some women so we need the room.

I should take some pics of his outfits - he has a really great style. Love it.

This is Forever New coral dress, with Strada 5inch heels that I got in Italy and a sequin clutch that Pats grandmother gave to me for my 21st birthday. This was going to my Auntys 70th Surprise birthday lunch.

Gorman hexagon tee, black highwaist skirt, Chanel lambskin flap,

Zomp heels and Dinosaur Designs bangle. Probably going shopping. LOL

Seduce white balloon sleeve coat, Seduce pinny dress underneath, red vintage heels, Louis Vuitton Epi Soufflot in rouge.

My sisters design dress, Steven Madden patent heels, Chanel flap, Sportsgirl belt, DD bangle.

More outfits to come....

My latest NEED!

2007-11-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

You know when you just cant stop thinking about an item that you convince yourself its not a want, its really a NEED? Well this is it for me at the moment.

The Louis Vuitton Suhali Lockit PM in black. It retails at $3250 in Australia.

Well I found it, and I have to have it. Its THE perfect black everyday bag for me. Now for most people, its probably more of a dressy bag, when you think of everyday, you think slouchy, casual, throw it around bag to wear with trackies and thongs.
I'm not most people. I never wear casual outside my home. I love dressing up in heels everyday, love wearing all my nice clothes that I spend money on. Whats the point of buying them and wearing them once in a while? I love being overdressed rather than underdressed. It makes me feel more confident, it makes me feel better.

I dont even own tracksuit pants and dont wear thongs, unless its at the beach.

So yeah, for me this bag is perfect. Pat doesnt want to buy it for me now, cos we are building our house at the moment and all our money is going into that. Which is fine, I understand and I can wait for this bag because it is a part of the classics, so its always available when in stock.

So I will wait..but I will have this bag in the near future...maybe my birthday in May. Hmmmm.....

Demi Moore uses her Suhali all the time, although hers is the larger size.

Victoria Beckham has one in aligator skin which looks stunning.

So what do you think?

My first post! Yipee!

2007-10-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

Us at Darby Day in 2006.

Below is us on our wedding day. My gown was from J'aton Couture on Greville St, Prahran, headpiece custom made also from J'aton. Shoes from Miss Louise - sparkly Italian handmade heels from Lerre. My other half is in a Gucci suit and shirt. J'aton tie and Hugo Boss shoes.

And YES, all the flowers are real. LOL. More pics of this wonderful day - later.

Us at a friends wedding. Im wearing a Rosemin dress, vintage red pumps and Chanel classic flap bag.

I should have started this ages ago..bit slow on the bandwagon I guess.

Quick points for those who dont know me.

* Married to P for 2 years in Feburary.

* Building a big, new ultra contemporary house, in which I cant wait to live in because the place we live in now, is tiny, but location, location. I dont care - give me space please.

* Am obsessed with animals, especially my cats Sweety and Joffy

* Love cooking, and I make a disaster in the kitchen but ohwell.

* Italian background - my parents born in Italy and also my husbands parents.

* I do shift work, working 4 days on and have 4 days off. Its great getting lots of days off, but meh, still hate the place and cant wait till I have a baby so I can quit working. LOL

* Love fashion, but not many women dont. My husband loves it too and is very concious about what he wears, so I guess thats not very common?

* In this blog, Im going to take pics of general going outs, my food, my cats and my clothes outfits.

OK so gotta start cooking dinner. Im doing chicken breast fillets cooked in white wine, mushroom and onion sauce, served with mixed leaf salad and garlic roasted potatos.

Hope you enjoy my upcoming posts and thanks for looking.

L. xox