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Monday, December 29, 2014

52/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: The finale of this years project and a photo to finish up this year of the wild child. To get your energy out after our tradition of Christmas eve in the city shopping and visiting Santa you decided to hop to the side of Mr Claus' grotto and jump on each and every bed over looking downtown. You were polite enough to take off your shoes, I will give you that my tiny ball of energy but you didn't stop until every single one had a proper bounce. 

Heres til next year ... xox

Saturday, December 20, 2014

51/52

" A portrait of my daughter once a week, ever week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: We finally got around to decorating our little tree, which for the rest of the year sits in our back garden. You loved putting all the sparkly Stars and ornaments we've collected in our years as a little family. I told you the story of each and you giggled with delight tiny one. I cant wait to see you Christmas morning after Santy arrives with your parcels.  Here you are singing with your trusty baby dog and having a ball - as always!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!
xoxo

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

50/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: Butter wouldn't melt ... 
Here you are at your Christmas pageant where you danced like a dinosaur, ate pizza and gossiped with your tiny friends. After millions of cheeky faces, when asked for one sweet one this is what I got. How sweet it is you lovely little wild creature. 
We haven't gotten the internet at our new home yet so this space is a bit slow but I am getting so much done, most of it being snuggles and dancing in our new living room with you, so I can't complain. Christmas is coming and you promise us this year you won't be scared of Santa, because "He's a good boy, like Daddy!" 
2 weeks left of this lovely project, I can't believe it and oh, what a year its been!! 

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Stills: Return to Aus

1. Auntie
2. Sweetness
3. Sunny Days
4. Yellow Noo Noo
5. Coffee Break
6. Foxy
7. The Feast
8. The Love
9. Best Friends
10. Uncle

Monday, December 8, 2014

Rainy Days and Mondays

A list of distractions for your Monday morn.

Loving ... this post on home and change and lessons in entering the unknown
Putting ... This book of deliciousness on my Christmas list
Thinking ... This print would be lovely (and fitting!) in our new kitchen
Taking note ... of this while planning our urban garden.
Listening ... to this while setting up the new house, especially this tune


49/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: Dining Alfresco. A new home full of sunshine and love and plenty of bubble baths. xo

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Book Club: December


Flight Behavior (Barbara Kingsolver) 
This woman has stolen my heart and I have been collecting all her novels for my summer reading. This book is so wonderfully written, addressing pressing issues in the most gentle and innocent of ways and being from only a few miles south of where I grew up it really hits home for me. Kingsolver is a master storyteller and I can't wait to dive into another of her novels and fall in love with a whole new set of her characters.

Shotgun Love Songs (Nikolas Butler)
On the cover of this book Author Matthew Quick writes, "A book that makes you want to call old friends. A writer that makes you feel more human than you thought possible." I couldn't possibly sum it up better than that, this novel will take you back to your hometown friends who you know, love and will be there for you through it all. It's a tale of a small town love, between best friends and partners told in perspectives from everyone involved. It's a perfect read for when your heart aches for these people or even better, when they're just right around the corner.


Ten Little Pirates (Mike Bronlow and Simon Rickerty) 
Tiny's new favorite obsession (okay, okay, I'm a little hooked too) Little Pirates doing mischievous adventures and teaching your little one to count in the process, what's not to love?! 

Monday, December 1, 2014

Rainy Days and Mondays

A list of distractions for your Monday morn.

Listening ... to this and thinking of home
Inspired by ... This woman's zero waste, no trash/rubbish philosophy
Feeling ... So many emotions while reading this photographers post, especially as we embark on our next family home. Don't forget to watch the extremely moving video at the end. 
Loving ... This post of so many useful things to make instead of buying
Cooking up ... This and baking This for our Thanksgiving feast
Looking forward to ... spending Wed eves here
Wondering ... If maybe this newly returned classic should be Lottie's first cinema trip

Sunday, November 30, 2014

48/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: Summers here and this year little water baby - you are swimming all on your own! You've been in water your whole life, jumping off the side of the pool with no fear, learning to kick and wade with your Daddy and Jannie and now you take off all by yourself at only 2 years of age.  You hop on your yellow Noo-Noo and away you go for hours, screaming, splashing, kicking and cruising around from one side to the next. In a couple of days we move into our new home, only a few minutes from the local swimming hole and I can't wait to spend our days there (and a few of those lucky oh-so- horribly hot Melbourne nights where the pool relieves us all by playing films while we wade in the cool water).

Three more sleeps at your grandparents before we move into a home of our own, after almost 6 months on the road and living in temporary spaces we can't wait to cuddle in and spend this summer in a place of our very own. 

Monday, November 24, 2014

Rainy Days and Mondays

A list of distractions for your Monday morn.

Sewing ... This Free Pattern
Reminiscing ... on Glasgow with This Vice article, especially the part about this delicious spot! 
Loving ... This woman's wise words to her almost teenage daughter.
Eagerly awaiting ... These Girls comeback in the new year. 
Listening to ... This, while watching Lottie and her papa swim and giggle in the pool
Tearing up over ... These 10 Things
Salivating ... and needing to hurry to get to here
Baking ... Guinness chocolate cake by my favorite culinary lady. Easy and oh so Delicious.
Thinking ... Here may be our next destination


Saturday, November 22, 2014

47/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: Settling back in and you are running wild and being spoiled like crazy by all our much missed friends. We're spending days house hunting and hanging at Daddy's work drinking coffee, baby chinos and laughing and catching up. You are not too thrilled about me returning to work and when asked what job you thought I should do you answered "hug a me!" Ha, my very favorite job indeed.



Friday, November 21, 2014

Baby it's a wild world ..



I wanted to do a round up of photos from our trip but I was finding the task a bit daunting, so I decided to simplify. One photo of Tiny in each country we explored and the finale ended up working out to be one of our very few family shots. What a wild ride it was, not her first big adventure but the biggest outside the womb (I'll share that other story sometime soon, it really deserves its very own post). Oh the places you've been little one, it really goes to show - home is where your heart is. xo

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

The Hunt.


Returning from a long adventure you dream of hanging up your backpack, taking a warm bath and rinsing the journey from you as you begin fresh and new. An adventure under your belt and a longing for a cozy home and drinks and laughs with your nearest and dearests. You wish to make a space home for a little while and snuggle in before you start dreaming of what's next to come and just enjoy the stagnant for awhile. BUT in order for this to fall into place the hunt must begin.. The job hunt, the home hunt, the perfect place and area and price and once that amazing spot is found - you must battle the other hunters for your dream abode. Then you must lose and now defeated you must hunt again, and again and possible again and again... forevermore. Melbourne has been voted the "Most livable city" for the fourth year in a row and live they must do. Our beloved quiet, walk to the city, not too hip to have everyone racing to be there but just the perfect mix of cool and old school suburb has been discovered. Prices have risen, demand has skyrocketed and the hunters are fierce. We could move suburbia-side, bask in the sunlight of actual backyards instead of concrete courtyards, dance through the abundant space that living a 30 minute tram ride instead of a 10 minute walk avails, shop til we drop to fill the actual clothing and storage cupboards that would replace the wire hanging racks and makeshift shelves... 
We could ... 
But we won't. 
And the hunt prevails...

Sunday, November 16, 2014

46/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: Bossy Pants and her trusty side kick. 

Not many photos were taken this week as we settle back into Melbourne, rest up and look forward to our next adventure... a home of our own!

Much more to come as soon as life catches back up with us... 

Sunday, November 9, 2014

45/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: A pretend Ice Cream surrounded by all your friends. 
Home Sweet Home.



Annnd... we're back!

Okay, technically we were back a few days ago but the nights are mixed up and my brain is jumbled and just looking at the computer makes me a wee bit sleepsy. It has been one incredibly wild ride these last 4 1/2 months and to return to Melbourne with the sun shining and to be able to jump straight in to the water, share bbq's in the sun with the ones we love and eat the delicious food and coffees this fantastic town has to offer makes it just as sweet returning. Lottie's tiny passport is half full, her vocabulary now includes bits from 4 different languages and her accent comes out a mixed uppy version of her already mixed up background. Now is an exciting and busy time of searching for a new home to make ours again, reuniting with all our loved ones and starting new job prospects that could lead us anywhere. This year of endless summers is looking oh-so-bright!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

44/52

La Serena, Chile
"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: Boo! 
In La Serena their two favorite things seem to be Halloween and Peppa Pig, 
needless to say you and I were two Happy Girls :) 
Happy Halloween.

43/52

Arica, Chile
"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: Viva La Chile! You little wild monkey.. Here you are at our hostel in Chile, you put your baby doll next to the other creatures decorating the patio and begged your daddy to take you and your tiny friends photo as you cheesed at the camera. You've chased us through the streets of Arica, calling us cheeky butts, run nakey through the hostel as I ran two steps behind with your pj's, ate your weight in "pink" ice cream on the beach and charmed all the other travelers with your silly stories and funny ways. I envision you in a few years doing this all alone (hopefully sans the nakey part!!) and I am sad to think my young solo backpacker days are over but overjoyed to think of the fun you will have and the experiences you will already have behind you. 
Stay wild little one (but listen to your mother for goodness sakes!!) xo

Friday, October 24, 2014

Uros: The floating Islands of Lake Titicaca

Uros, Lake Titicaca, Peru

According to Incan legend it was from within Lake Titicaca that the creator god Viracoca rose up to create the sun, moon, stars and the first human beings. Among these same waters lies another wonder, the man made floating Islands of Uros. Forty-two self fashioned Islands between the borders of Peru and Bolivia in which the Uros people took up residence hundreds of years ago when the Incas expanded onto their land. Their homes, furniture, boats, the Island they live on are all made from the totora reed which grows around them.

You can take half or full day tours around the Islands from Puno, Peru and the locals will show you their homes, chat with you about their history and take you for a ride in one of their amazingly built and beautiful reed boats. You can also take a 2 day 1 night tour and stay with the locals and let the Island rock you to sleep at night. Any way you choose to visit, it's not to be missed!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

42/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2014"

Lottie Cakes: This may be my favorite photo thus far. Here you are perched at the top of the mountains in the clouds looking every bit the rebellious wild child you are. 

Ohhh, those Redheads!

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, Peru

I have wanted to visit these ancient ruins for a long time, especially upon hearing they were close to closing up to the public, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to encounter. There are many ways to get to this long forgotten city including trekking for a chosen amount of days to Aguas Calientes and then hiking straight up the mountain until you reached your final destination. In my old, more free spirited days of hitchhiking, living with only what fit on my back and floating around to wherever life took me, maybe, MAYBE I would have gone that route. The thought of that journey with a 2 1/2 year old strapped to my back along with being almost 8,000 miles above sea level exhausted me and I booked the train, slept soundly in a local hostel and boarded a bus in the morning. 
A bus, what a peaceful way to reach your destination you're thinking, how lovely to stare out the window as you make your way up the mountain disappearing into the clouds daydreaming about the civilization that made this mountain their home. I was thinking the same and oh, how wrong I was! The bus drives up teetering over the edge of the growing mountain, taking sharp turns before teetering over it again and then coming head on with yet another of the ongoing buses making it to inch even closer to the side causing your imagination to start planning out the ways you would save yourself and your two year old squirming sidekick if the worst was to happen and this massive vehicle were to flip and was dangling only from the tiny, scraggly trees growing up the side of the mountain. Terrifying and overly dramatic, but if you've been there you know the fear! 
But as to be expected the destination was worth the ride. The amazement and wonder of the people who dared to climb so high and build such an intricate home in the clouds and why and how and where did they disappear to? The stone bricks so perfectly carved, they fit together so perfectly not even a piece of paper could fit between two adjoining sides. The different levels built, all with separate climates in order to grow a plethora of different fruits and vegetables. The water and drainage systems that still work to this day, it's truly a wonder in many senses of the word.
If you dare get there quick, in the next couple of years the wear and tear of 2,500 visitors a day, every day will come to an end as they shut up this amazing place in order to preserve it's beauty for the years to come.

Budget tips: 
Book your train tickets as far in advance as possible as there are different levels of trains and the cheapest "Backpacker" seats sell out super quick.

As soon as you book your tickets go to the government website and book your entrance to Machu Picchu. Here you will pay $44 as opposed to the $65 the agencies will charge.

Take your little ones to experience - kids under 8 are free of charge and from 8-17 are 50% the adult price!