sand dunes & salty air

Thanks to my jet lag I've been waking up at 5am. As someone who normally loves to sleep in, this has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me.  Who knew how productive the morning can be? Each day we've been getting up early to walk the beach, watch the sunrise and drink copious amounts of Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. Just as we get back the rest of the house is waking up so we've been lounging around in the mornings playing with the baby and trying to entertain the dog (who's still depressed about the baby's arrival and his sudden fall on the priority list - he's very sensitive).

Just like my childhood, I still love doing the same things when we're down the Cape: bike rides to the Kennedy compound and checking out the weathered shingles on all the beautiful seaside homes, walking around downtown and checking out the shops that haven't changed in 20 years, going out for lobster rolls and coming home to hang out in the hammock and a backyard bbq.  It's been five years since I've been here but it always feels familiar, like nothing has changed. That's probably why I'm loving it so much...

back on old cape cod

We're back on Cape Cod and as tradition goes its been filled with family, food and far too many drinking games in the back yard...

home at last

Home at last.

I got an aisle seat on the flight home which when flying stand by is the equivalent of hitting the seating jackpot. Too bad later in the flight I got a migraine and threw up in the plane bathroom...it was awesome. Anyways after a 5 hour delay in Dallas I finally made it to Boston and it was hot and sticky just as expected. The next morning, while in a jet lagged stupor I finally got to meet my niece for the first time and was immediately smitten. I love everything about her and plan on spending my entire holiday smothering her to death and plotting to put her in my suitcase and bring her back to Sydney. Consider yourselves warned that there will be numerous posts on the way that will feature far too many photos of her. I can't get enough.

We're on our way to Cape Cod later today for a week long family holiday but for now I'm up early and have been enjoying the silent house, cool morning air and even found the energy to walk around town at the crack of dawn, snapping photos and taking in the houses, the lake, the old grave stones . I'm loving all the details, the differences and most of all just being home.

this must be the place

I've been listening to Talking Heads on repeat this week. This must be the place. There's something about this song that I love, it makes me feel like where ever I am now is exactly where I should be. It's a good feeling....

In two days I head home for a holiday and I truly can't wait. I'm ready to run away, to relax, to recharge and to be completely honest, ready for a change of scenery. Sydney has been cold and chaotic lately and I want some space to think, to get some things in order so I can come back full of energy and ready to tackle the ever growing to do list. I want to finally learn how to use my camera (thanks Nell for the motivation), I want to start running again, take a trip down the coast...you see where I'm going with this, the list continues. 

Mostly, I think Jimmy and I are just ready for some sun. It's been close to 5 years since I've been home to enjoy an East Coast summer and I'm longing for hot humid nights, lazy days and cold drinks. I'm ready for all the highs and lows that come with vacationing with your family for a week in the same house (National Lampoons?). I'm preparing as you normally do for a summer holiday by getting a spray tan mainly so that young children don't run in fear at the sight of my pale legs. Yup, admittedly they're pretty frightening at the moment. Let's just hope this experience is better than the last one and fingers crossed my pale winter vampire skin doesn't turn orange overnight (oh, it's happened before). I'll keep you posted...

sewing adventures: handmade baby quilt

Thinking about sewing a baby quilt? Let me fill you in on a little tip - sewing and patience go hand in hand. Unfortunately for me, patience (even in its smallest form) is not my strong point. That's probably why it's taken me the better part of a year to finally complete this baby quilt for my niece, Fiona, (who is now almost 4 months old).  I'm hoping the 'better late than never' rule applies to aunts that live overseas.

Despite the delay in completion I have to say I'm pretty proud of the end result.  If you ignore the strange stitching and completely wonky corners, the rest of the quilt actually looks pretty professional and I have to say thanks again to Retromummy for the beautiful fabric. Fingers crossed Fiona will love it...

trade show survival kit

I'm back from Melbourne and although I look a bit worse for wear I've survived another year of trade show madness, crazy Melbourne weather and long work days. How did I do it you might ask?

Wine. Lots of wine.

Wine and coffee have become a staple of the trade show experience along with a comfortable hotel bed, amusing and/or horrific visitor stories to keep us laughing during those challenging days, the occasional disaster to overcome and of course the beautiful products you get to look at on a daily basis. As usual I wanted one of everything...

Anyways I'm back and quite frankly would be happy to never see another exhibition centre for the rest of my life or at least until mid-September when I have my next event but who's counting? So now I'm off to return phone calls, reply to emails and generally make contact with the outside world for the first time in a week...

trip down memory lane

I've always been a fan of experiences rather than presents. That might sound strange to some but give me a weekend away, a homemade dinner or picnic at the beach and I'm happy as can be. There is something more meaningful about an experience or giving something homemade that makes the memories that much sweeter.  

That's why when Jimmy's dad, Steve, turned the big 60 we wanted to make him something special, something that has become a family tradition and that he would treasure for years. We compiled photos throughout his life and created a book of memories and a beautiful trip down memory lane to celebrate six great decades. Happy 60th Steve!

life instyle melbourne

Tonight I'm heading down to Melbourne for a week's worth of trade show mania. The doors open at 10am tomorrow - let the fun begin.

I'll be splitting my time between Life Instyle and Reed Gift Fairs so if you're planning to visit make sure to say hello. I'm expecting long days, sore feet, cold weather and lots of cool products to check out so depending on how much energy I can muster I'll try to post a few pics from the show...back soon!

p.s. - check out the Life Instyle blog to see some of our staff picks.