My heart is suitably warmed right now. Some things that do this:
Hugs
Watching E sleep
Seeing elderly couples hold hands
Watching people eat a packed lunch (I know, this is weird, but seeing someone unwrap a sandwich and then open a flask of coffee brings me so much pleasure)
The look on E’s face when he sees me after we’ve been apart for a few hours or days
Animals dressed in clothes and/or glasses
This.
I could do with some relaxing today, after a super busy weekend. Things that make me relax:
Sitting quietly on my verandah
Colouring in my colouring books
Hearing no sounds, except for birds chirping
The late afternoon sun
Watching a good movie
Wandering through book shops
Literary time
Church
Being immersed in water. Bubble baths, long hot showers, swimming in a pool or the ocean
Lying on the grass in the sun
I hope you have time to relax this week.
I’ve come across three delicious looking pasta dishes over the last few weeks and I thought I’d share them here.
The first one is a spaghetti with roasted tomatoes + a pea and goat cheese pesto. I’d use ricotta instead of goats cheese to be sure.
The second one is spaghetti carbonara. In theory, I love the idea of this. When it comes to actually eating food with raw egg in it though, I quietly freak out.
The third one is a butterey, garlicky, mushroomy treat of a meal.
All three of these pastas look like the perfect dish to make for guests. Visitors would come, they’d eat carbs, they’d leave happy.
I suppose you all want a dinner invite now, huh?
My sister and brother in law had an adorable baby girl last week and they named her Antigone Eliza.
I love her name and I love the girl herself even more. She is perfection. Beautiful!
My Mum and I were out walking when we got the news that Tigs had arrived. After a lot of squeals, we dashed home, crying big crocodile tears of joy and then quickly made our way to the hospital. Holding my niece when she was all of three hours old was such a wonderful feeling. I was staring down at her thinking – Wow! You’re the new one in our family and it’s going to be so much fun! You’re going to be my little friend that I can do silly dances with and wear funny hats for. We’re going to read together and make play dough and I’m going to get to be part of your life and watch you grow up and I just can’t wait for it all. But I want it to go slowly too so I can take note of every little thing.
So yes, I’m a little more than completely obsessed. Every time I get sent a new photo of Tigs, I share it with every living soul in a 50 km radius. I just love her so much.
This little munchkin looks so peaceful and pretty when she sleeps. And check out those biceps!
When she’s awake, she’s a squigly, funny little babe. I could look at her for ever and ever.
What is even more beautiful though is seeing my sister with her first baby. Tigs is lucky because Leigh is already a good, good Mummy.
So I’m thinking that the gushing is getting out of control here. Can you stand it? In summary, I love my Antigone.
That’s all.
Do you have style icons? Because I don’t really. Style icons are not my thing, you know? It’s not something I think about.
So I looked to my ‘She’s got the look’ pinterest board, for inspiration. And I’ve realised that:
I like girls who wear jeans well.
And red polish will always be my favourite.
I’m also a fan of girls who look good in knee high boots. 
I also think Nat is gorgeous. She rocks jeans, she rocks boots, she rocks stripes. And even when she’s just sitting about, like below (pics from her blog), she looks supes cute!
Just in case you’ve missed any:
01: Suburbs I’ve lived in
02: Jobs I have had
03: Favourite childhood TV shows
04: Favourite smells
05: The best snacks
06: Things I do every day
07: Some of my favourite flowers
Bonus list: Messy things I like
Bonus list: Nice sauces and condiments
08: Great things I’ve read lately
09: Favourite words
10: Good things to have for breakfast
11: Things to make me feel cosy
12: Games I like
13: Good Things To Bake
I like to bake. Although for me, it’s secondary to cooking. However my favourite smells to have wafting out of the oven are:
Pizza dough
Pasties
Banana bread
Coconut bread
Roast dinners
Cookies
Lebanese kibbeh
Zucchini slice
Potato bake
Fish
Lasagne
Eggplant parmigana
There really is nothing cosier than the smell of baking crawling through the house!
This is a bonus mini list. Fitting really because sauces and condiments are like a bonus in a way.
I don’t like to have lots of condiment bottles in my fridge (clutter!) but I do delight when I find them in other people’s. My friend Tim’s mother has so many different sauces and chutney and pickles that she could set up a shop.
I love:
Aioli – But I can’t make it myself because once I see the raw egg going into it I freak out
Mustard – the hot English, Australian and American varieties
Gravy – must be thick and brown NOT clear
Hot chilli sauce – I like it so hot that my skin goes beet red, my eyes well up with tears and my head feel like a house on fire
Worcestershire – delicious on eggs, on hot chips and on oysters
Soy – cos I think I was Asian in a past life
Pickles – especially with cheese, on a ploughman style sandwich
Chutney – with leftover roast beef, this is such a winner
Pesto – I love me some green sauce!
Chimichurri – I quite like this recipe.
What are your favs?
The random musings of Neen 