The Makeup Cull

For some time now I have stared at my overly stuffed make up container and thought, 'I should do something about that', but I have this WEIRD thing going on where I hate to throw out things unless they're all finished. Like shampoo and conditioner for example. I am currently about half way through a bottle but I'm sick of it and want to try another brand, but I can't bring myself to buy any more until these bottles are done. Crazy? Maybe.

The tipping point with my makeup collection was when I fished around to the bottom of my bag and found a shimmery loose eyeshadow dust/powder that I think I bought... hmmmmm... at least 9 years ago. But its a super pretty, bronzey, neutral, go-with-everything colour and I love it. But the day after wearing it I noticed that the skin on my eyelids was all dry and flakey and just gross. Coincidence? Maybe. But I wasn't going to take any chances. In the bin that eyeshadow went. I think 9 years was a sufficient life for it.

I also decided to cull anything else that had been languishing in the dark depths of my makeup bag for too long. This is the cull:

And this is the new and improved makeup bag. No more overflowing mess! Hooray!!!

But now I have a list of new beauty products I need. One of them being a new foundation. Duh duh dahhh! I hate foundation shopping. I'm after something new. I am currently using Clinique but want to branch out a bit. Any suggestions?

I really want the Bobbi Brown BB cream. Tried this on at Mecca Cosmetica and it was amazing. Great coverage that lasted all day!

C xo

Team Sport

 Who would have thought that this here little blog about shoes and shopping and family and food would have a heading like 'Team Sport'?

Well readers, it does. Deal with it.

On a side note, I love the whole neon runners trend at the moment.
These are not mine, but I wish they were!
Source: Pinterest

I've joined the work mixed netball team. Not having played in over 10 years didn't stop me. No siree. I was jumping on that social team sport bandwagon like there was no tomorrow!

And what do you know, I actually enjoy it... most of the time... but I'll get to that a bit later.

I typically end up playing WA or WD (as my lovely sister in law puts it - they are the shittiest positions so they put the shittiest players in them. Thanks J!). But occasionally I moonlight as GS. I know! Short little me as GS. I love it. And i'm ok at it if I do say so myself. I think everybody gets a bit put off by my height (or lack thereof) and just let me go for it.

Anyway, back to the enjoying it bizzo. Its SOCIAL netball. Its supposed to be fun, right? WRONG. Some people take it very seriously. They are super competitive and get all yelly at the ref and stuff. Luckily we haven't had too much of that. And then you get people like me who are pretty shit at netball (J said so!) who like to play for funsies, but when you get put up against somebody who is a) good and b) a bitch (like tonight) you get a very ragey Cath. My opposition was just so..... ahhhh! Frustrating! She was sticking her big bum in my face and just being all condescending because I had to ask few questions about the rules to the ref (because I didn't know!). And then she made me mad, and made me be even shittier at netball than normal which made me be offside more often, or contact more often, and accordingly, give away penalties more often. So. Frustrating.

I was thinking while I was playing, how do the pros block out all of the stuff that irritates them? Do they have a secret? I just tried to ignore my bitchy counterpart and play as best I could. All I wanted to do was play good to show her up. It didn't really work. Oh well. We did win though. So that's something!

Do you play team sport? How do you keep your cool in heated situations?

C xo

My Messy House

My house is messy. All. The. Time. And I hate it. But I know its my own fault. Keeping on top of ones housework is not my forte, I'm afraid.

I have been searching for tips regarding general cleaning and house tidying and staying ORGANISED (this is they key, I think), and in my research stumbled upon a few gems:

+ FlyLady - this lady is a bit full on, but I can see her sense in the 'get dressed to shoes' mantra in the morning. Getting dressed and putting shoes on makes you feel more organised and like you mean business. You're more likely to sloth around the house in your pj's and slippers. I remember when I used to work from home once a week before Miss L was born, I'd always make sure I put a decent set of clothes on (no pj's or trackpants!) and footwear of some kind. This made me feel more in 'work mode'.

+ Martha Stewart - the Queen of domesticity!!! I love this simple '6 things to do each day' checklist she has devised.

1. Make the bed (its true. It really does make the room feel tidier);
2. Manage clutter. This is brilliant. Whenever you leave a room, look around and check to see if there is something there that shouldn't be, pick it up and take it to where it should be. Easy! This is good when you have a toddler who likes dragging various toys and bits and pieces all over the house.
3. Sort the mail. Don't let that junk mail pile up! Read bills and stick them to the fridge. I have a handy magnet clip on the fridge to store bills.
4. Clean up while you cook. I try to do this... Stack the dishwasher as you go. Fill the sink up with hot, soapy water and chuck pots and pans in there to soak.
5. Wipe up spills while they are fresh. I don't do this. Oops! Must try harder Martha!
6. Sweep the kitchen floor every night after finishing the dishes.

+ The Organised Housewife - she has some excellent tips on how to declutter. My biggest problem is I hold onto items for sentimental value. I had a large folder full of my uni assignments (posters, project sheets, A3 books that I made, etc), but why the hell did I need to keep them? I purged them all (after having a flick through, taking a trip down memory lane and wondering why the hell we did so much bloody collage for a Town Planning degree??!!!). It felt good to get rid of them. Now, I just wish I could be as ruthless with my shoe collection. There are some ugly, scuffed shoes that have no chance of being revitalised, but I can't throw them out! Silly! Must sort that out quick smart.

All have great ideas that I'm trying to implement. I love Martha's tip of sweeping your floors every night after doing the dishes. So simple, but the impact is great! Particularly when you have a messy cockatiel who loves flinging seed all over the place!

Another tip that I find great (and I think I remember reading it from that super cleaning/organising Australian guy that Oprah loved (name? Peter somebody maybe?) and he said to try and keep your surfaces free of clutter - tables, coffee tables, benches, etc. This is one rule that I desperately need to follow. Our kitchen table currently has 3 piles of various items on it - magazines, Miss L paintings from day care, old photos, receipts, etc etc. My problem is lack of space to store these!!! I might need a trip to IKEA this weekend for some storage inspiration.

How is your house? Do you have any awesome cleaning, tidying, decluttering tips you'd like to share?

C xo

Life of late

Here's some glimpses of my life lately...

Loving the cooler weather in Brisbane at the moment. I have so many jackets, blazers, cardi's etc and yet I still continue to buy more! I scored this stripey number from Ezibuy for a steal ($18). Wearing it with dark denim jeans, pink top and Red Phoenix Emporium jewels. I'm loving the RPE girls and their range. They are locals and so so talented!

We dragged out the flannelette this week. Flanny pj's and sheets are the business. Even Miss L's pj's match our sheets!

I whipped up a baked cheesecake with a blueberry topping on Sunday arvo. We are still ploughing our way through it. Its super delicious, especially with the chocolate icecream we have stashed in the freezer.

Miss L has been on a rollercoaster ride of sickness of late... Ear infection, cold and mouth ulcers all in the matter of a few weeks. She has one illness, we have a week of happy, healthy Miss L, and then it starts all over again. Sigh. Day care is taking its toll on all of us! But at least we're building up that little immune system.

Miss L's favourite 'toy' at the moment is a balloon or 'bubble' as she calls it. Its so adorable. And cheap! But is hard to control when we're out and about - some shops have balloons set up as part of their display and Miss L is always very insistent on obtaining one. She knows what she wants and she will not stop until she gets it.

She's also into climbing. On everything. Dishwasher included.

This was when she had her ear infection. She just lay on her pillow watching her favourite show - Small Potatoes. Poor little love.

 And her hair is long enough to rock a little pony tail now. She is growing up so fast. I'm trying to slow down and soak up all of her during this tiny person phase... She's not walking yet, but that's ok with me. I've still got my baby for a bit longer.

C xo

My Week with Leona

Now, I wish I could spend a week with the divine and talented Ms Leona Edmiston, but instead I wore her frocks for a week - setting myself a personal style challenge to wear seven different Leona dresses in seven days. It was seven days of style and glamour and I tweeted about it all week. The response from the Leona Edmiston girls on twitter was so positive and their encouragement ensured I persisted with my challenge. It sure did make getting dressed in the morning very easy!

Here's my stylish week in pictures (back to front - sorry!):

Sunday: Fox wrap dress casual'd down with layers and flats

Saturday: Floral print Pia dress with layers underneath. It was so cold! Note: ugg boots in picture hehe

Friday: The first Leona dress I ever bought! Pretty peacock print & clashing it with my leopard print flats

Thursday: Leona dress underneath a colourful knit - perfect for the office!

Wednesday: Floral print dress. I wore this dress when I was pregnant. So versatile!

Close up of the print on Wednesday's dress

Tuesday: Wrap dress for work. See Miss L watching on from the sidelines!

Monday: Dress with border print, tights and tan flats. Great 'Mum on the Run' outfit

As you can see, I love my Leona dresses. The Ruby range is very affordable - check it out HERE. And the Frocks are to die for - sigh! I think I have at least another 7 Leona dresses to do a second week!!! Obsessed much. They are just so easy to wear and so easy to wash. No ironing is ever required.

I've even inspired another fellow blogger and fashion lover to do the same. Check out Kimba likes on her blog and her twitter @Kimbalikes. She started her seven days of Leona today!

This little personal style challenge just reaffirmed my love for Leona frocks and increased my desire for more dresses to add to my collection. Sorry Mr B!

C xo

Bursting

Lately I have been having these immense feelings of love for Miss L, which isn't unusual because she is my daughter and all, but its only lately that I am becoming more and more aware of how much I do actually love her, like, really, really love her.

And its a different love that I feel for Mr B *of course* but that's what makes it so hard to describe... I feel like I am just absolutely BURSTING with love for her. I can't imagine our lives without her in it now. I guess all parents feel the same about their own children. And I am only now truly discovering what that feels like.

I am very very lucky to have her in my life. My little angel sent from above.

C xo

Because I don't have a.....

.... Because I don't have a penis. There I said it. Penis! (I can't believe I just said penis on my blog. I don't even know who I am anymore) Oh, and the reason why I'm finding it so hard to make friends at work... because I don't have a penis.

Uggh.

People are friendly towards me at work and stuff, but I've noticed this week since a new guy started that the boys are all over him. Loitering around his desk. Asking him to come and have coffee with them. Etc Etc. The boys are so matey with each other. They have 'stripey shirt days' where they all wear stripey shirts. Its a bit cute actually, how much they love each other.

Why aren't the girls like that? I put the question to Mr B. He claims it's because girls are territorial of their space and their 'girls' and don't like it when a new girl comes on the scene to potentially ruin all of that. I hope he's wrong.

It makes me all sad that I still don't have any proper friends at work. I've definitely made progress since February, but its hard going, especially only working 3 days a week.

I don't remember being like that with new girls in my old office on the Gold Coast... Hmmmpph.

Never fear, I will continue to whip out my best baking skills to wow everyone once again and give me at least a hint of a friendship in the office. Look what the boys made me - a trophy with the words 'Grand Ultimate #1 Super Baker - Cath's cuisine reigns supreme' - they even (temporarily) surrendered their cricket trophy for me. Bless them!

C xo