Birthday Wishlist

Hello my lovelies. It's my birthday on the 1st of February. It's weird to think I'm more in my late 20's than early 20's. I know I look nothing like my age and I'm used to people being shocked when they find out how old I am. I have learnt to embrace looking young for my age and I'm sure I will love it even more when I'm in my 40's. 

I have a little birthday wish list. Just some random items that have caught my eye. 

 Neenacreates

I adore her whole shop and would be happy with almost anything. I love Spanish so this shirt would be perfect. 

Status Anxiety

I need a new purse so this would be great. 

 LoveMae

I adore LoveMae fabric decals. I have the mini forest critters. I really want these. 

 Red Bubble

This is for my love of the Hunger Games. They are definitely some of my fave characters. 

Via Allacqueredup

I don't even wear nail polish that much but I want all of these Hunger Games inspired ones. 

Nan Lawson

This Katniss print has been on my Etsy wish list and cart for so long. I think I should just buy it. 

 Besotted Brand

I like the simplicity of these notecards. 

Asos

I think these shoes are so sweet. I love pastels and flats. 

 Modcloth

I adore this dress but it's out of stock (I signed up to be notified when it was restocked and it was sold out again by the time I looked at the link).

Asos

Another item on my Asos wish list. I like these side/satchel style bags. 

TOMS

Heart printed TOMS?? I love!

Ban.do

I've always wanted some Ban.do hearts of some sort. Either the shoes clips, the pin or the headband. I would take all of them if I could :) 

And I would be happy for a shopping spree on Etsy, Notemaker or Book Depository.

I've taken the day off work and so has Jason. We are going to spend the day exploring and taking photos. That's the plan anyway :) 

Rained out getaway

Hello my lovely people. Thank you so much for all the comments front the previous post. Our little holiday was rained out but since our hotel was awesome, it still turned out to be great. We spent most of the time, watching movies and TV shows (we watched season 2 of The Walking Dead - romantic) and reading. 

We did manage to go outside into the outdoor spa (and the sauna, which I'm not a fan of) and we went for a drive to visit a shop I wanted to see but there was a chance we might have been caught in some flood waters. So it was probably good that the store was closed. 

The bedroom. It is such a gorgeous hotel. 

The bathroom. You can see into the bedroom but there was a shade you can pull down. 

The lounge, dining and kitchen. We said we could imagine living here. The hotel is only a year old so everything is still so clean and fresh.

So this was our view for most of the trip. Very gloomy. We didn't end up going to the beach which is a shame. Although Australia Day (26th Jan) was probably the best day weather wise. 

We took a quick photo on the balcony when we realised we hadn't taken any photos of us the whole time. 

Australia Day. We went to Shingle Inn for breakfast. It was the first day that it was quite dry even though it was still overcast. 

This was the store I wanted to visit. 

The display window. I figured I may as well take photos even though it was closed. Like I mentioned this area was starting to flood so it was probably a good thing that the store wasn't open. By the time we went back to our car. It was pouring down and most of the road was a giant puddle. 

It still turned out to be a fun getaway. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery. On our actual Anniversary we didn't do much. We ordered in (soo much more expensive that eating out) and watched a movie. 

It's still raining and I've had enough of it. This time last year we were just recovering from a flood and now it's gloomy again. I miss the sunshine. It helps lift my mood. 

Anyway, hope you are having a good weekend.

Happy Two Year Anniversary

Happy Two year Wedding Anniversary!!

Today two years ago I married the most wonderful man. I can't wait to see what the rest of the future holds for us :)

We are going off to the Gold Coast to stay at Peppers for a few days. Even though the weather is horrendous (rain, rain rain and supposed to storm) I'm sure we will have a great time. 

Girly date with Jasmine

Hey Lovelies. I had a great day yesterday. I had a girl's day with Jasmine. It was such a great day. We went vintage shopping at Paddington, watched a movie and went to the Lifeline Bookfest. 

Unfortunately, we didn't document the day with photos so I will just share some after photos of the items purchased. 

We went to RaRa Superstar in Paddington because the store was having a 'garage sale.' It was a stinking hot day though and it was difficult to try clothes on. And I'm sad I didn't take photos of the complimentary homemade lemonade and mini cupcakes. 

I bought these skirts. They are light and great for summer. 

This dress is a little different from what I would usually buy but I liked it (and it's crinkled because it was at the bottom of the suitcase I was rummaging in)

This is supposed to be an apron but I'm going to turn it into a dress. It's adorable on! 

We then went to watch The Journey 2. To be honest I really only wanted to watch it see Josh Hutcherson in action but it was still fun. 

We saw the Hunger Games poster and had a fan girl moment. 

We went to the Bookfest afterwards (this was the second trip for me). I bought more Babysitter club books and a few other books series that brought back memories. 

A few kids books for my future children. 

A few more books I thought would be interesting. And I did get influenced by the pretty covers.

I think these girly dates are good for a the soul because it was fabulous. I look forward to more of these dates. 

I'm on holidays this week. I'm so excited! It's also our 2 year wedding anniversary this week :) 

Books make me happy

Hello lovelies. Thanks for all your great comments :) They never fail to put a smile on my face.

As I mentioned last post, Jason and I went to the Lifeline Bookfest. They have three sections. Unpriced books (usually really cheap), a priced section (still cheap...like all books $2 etc) and a prices as marked section. 

This is from the unpriced section. I'm collecting the Babysitters Club books (nostalgia and I actually do re read them). I'm also collecting Alice in Wonderland books. 

This is from the mid priced section. I loved the Green Mile movie so hopefully I will enjoy the book. 

This is from the priced as marked section. I was overjoyed to see some of the Anne of Green Gables books. They didn't have all of them but I'm glad I was able to get these ones. 

Going to the Bookfest really brightened up my day and it's all for charity. So I'm hoping to go again this weekend, this time with Jasmine :) We had fun last time. I do have a plan for this Saturday which I hope we can do. 

Have a wonderful rest of week. Three days of work for me until my week off. My two year wedding anniversary is next week and my birthday is the week after!

Thoughts...

Top: Target

Belt: Myer

Skirt: Princess Highway from Dangerfield (in Myer)

Sandals: Sportsgirl

One of my favourite things to wear in summer is a breezy skirt and top. You can't really tell in the photo but my they are actually heart shaped polka dots. One of the reasons I was so attracted to the skirt. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been feeling very flat. I am happy to say that the feeling is slowly fading. It's been a mixture of things like writing in my journal, making a few little bits and pieces, talking to Jason and lots of praying. I had a mini breakdown session yesterday when I started telling Jason about how I'm just living each day, doing the same thing and not really making a difference. 

I'm not sure what set me off but  I started having this internal struggle with myself and my thoughts. In the end I decided to write a list of things I want to do and achieve and Jason and I also went to the Lifeline Bookfest. Books make me happy so I spent a few hours digging around for books and admiring those that volunteered for the week. Lifeline is a charity organisation so all the money raised will go to them. 

And this morning at church I felt so inspired and blessed. I realised how selfish I'm being, by just thinking about my own happiness, when there are so many other people around me that struggle so much more. So my lists now also include how I can make more of a difference and impact this world in some way. I know we were created for something more than to just live each day the same. 

This verse really impacted me....

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10. 

I know I've written a lot more than I usually do but I think this year, I will be sharing more about myself and my life. It might get a little more personal. Hope that's alright :) 

Have a wonderful week! 

Just a Minute in...January

*my beautiful gift from Laura

Just a Minute in.... January

Feeling... A little bit lifeless
Planning... Our USA trip
Hoping... I find my 'spark' again
Signing... Up for a one day letterpress class
Waiting... For my birthday in a few weeks
Listing... My goals and what I want to achieve
Looking... Forward to our week off (and celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary)
Praying... For many special people in my life

Even my Just a Minute posts are lacking a certain energy and that's how I've been feeling lately. I'm not sure why but I'm going through a real restless, flat and uninspired time. I don't feel inspired to do anything. Usually at this time of the year I would be happily planning my birthday but this year I haven't even picked the weekend for it (I still had one after my wedding even if it was a little late). I know you can't see it over the blog but I'm actually an extremely happy person so to feel this way is a little scary.

What do you do when you are going through a flat, lifeless patch? Any tips or ideas?

Have a wonderful rest of week. Hopefully next post I will be back to my chirpy self.

Instax Love

Hello lovelies. I hope your year has been going well so far. I'm still finding it difficult to get back into the swing of things because I never really got a restful break. Something I'm trying to do more this year is take more photos and document more of my life and the little things. I started using my Instax camera more too. Here are a few from the Christmas break.

This is Christmas day. Jason got a me a personalised Coke can (put into my stocking) because I said my name is never on anything. It says 'Share a Coke with Gracienne'. (I don't even drink Coke but I love their new campaign). And yes I'm wearing a flower wreath in my hair :)

This is Laura and me on NYE. She and Josh came over for some relaxed fun, food, movies and sparklers. 

Me in front of the Eye of Brisbane. It was the last day before work (for me) and the family that were staying with us wanted to ride on the Ferris Wheel. 

I like to take photos of the Eye of Brisbane but I've never been on it before. 

I did get this cute pink Superheadz camera from Jason as part of my Christmas present :) I started using it when we were at Southbank. Can't wait to use it more. 

So I'm at home sick. Resting really because I had a bad day yesterday. After the gym in my lunch hour, I almost blacked out in the change rooms. I was sitting on the floor with my head between my knees trying to fight the dizziness and nausea. I eventually made it to the shower then went back to work but felt terrible for the rest of the day so I went home an hour early. Today I'm relaxing and trying hard not to think about everything that needs to be done. 

As one of my goals this year is to be healthier overall and that includes not worrying about all the little things. And it's a busy weekend with an engagement party, Jasmine's birthday party tomorrow (yay!), a family breakfast (Jason's side) and a family lunch celebrating 3 birthdays (my side). 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and take care.

Happy New Year loves!

Happy New Year lovelies!

I spent New Years Eve with some of Jason's relatives and some good friends of ours Laura and Josh. There's nothing like ringing in the new year with good company and a laid back atmosphere. 

I'm not really one for making New Year Resolutions but I like to make some goals for the year.

♥ To live a healthier, more positive life. This includes being more aware of the food I eat, to exercise more often and to stop worrying about all the little things.

♥ To trust in God more in all aspects of my life. 

&heats; To spend more time being creative and to document more of life's moments. 

♥ To live more in the moment instead of waiting for things to get better or for me to be more organised etc.

♥ To have more dates with my hubby. 

♥ To plan more meet ups with my friends. I crave more girl time dates. 

I think this year, I want to stop waiting for the 'perfect' moment, to just do it. There are so many things I want to do achieve this year and I love that the new year brings new hope and new opportunities. I intend for this to be the best year yet!