That three hour drive, through the Hills

That three hour drive through the hills was yet again one educational journey. A journey which offered an escape from the noisy city life and into a much calmer + relaxing atmosphere.

Feeling the wind blowing through our hair, while feeling the warm Sun Rays as we are driving through The Black Spur in Victoria’s Yarra Valley Region. The beautiful array of flowers, trees and ferns made the drive through the windy section of road quite enjoyable and even more so beautiful.

Once we have headed into Mansfield, also referred to the Gateway to Mount Buller, we made a quick pit – stop to stretch our legs then headed further towards our envious location, ssshhh as We are letting you in on a partial secret.

While ultimately being on the home stretch already. Up and down, left and right through the Hills yet again [sleep deprivation can solve so many issues when you can’t stand the windy roads where your stomach starts to roll around in your tummy and you feel absolutely unwell! 😉 ]

Being on the home stretch we did indeed stop the car in the middle of the road while helping a long neck tortoise back to a dam, yes she simply rested on the road! How lucky there were no other cars at the time…once we arrived at our stunning location, it was time for a deliciour dinner and some spot lighting for animals, we saw some wombats, wallaby’s, of course some deer and a whole heap of native birds and of course I can’t forget to include our tortoise from earlier on…after all this it was just slightly past our bedtime.

The next day was spent helping with some errands at the property while then making a nice drive into Wangaratta, Victoria and paying a visit to the Browns Brothers Winery + Cellar Door in Milawa Victoria. Beautiful, prestige setting with the most incredible wines. We tried some Moscato’s, they happen to be my favorite and we got given the opportunity to taste a few wines which are super new and haven’t even hit the stores yet! How lucky are we! It was pretty special to be honest. Our favorite from the tastings was The Moscato + Savignon Blanc. The wine was vibrant and quite bright. Soo enjoyable and amazing! Even my other half who isn’t necessarily the biggest wine drinker around loved it! So a bottle came home with us 🙂

With the weather we were pretty lucky too, around the mid 30’s which allowed us an excuse for a dash to the Supermarket and “Hello Icecream… – even half price.“

While the day wound up we spent time relaxing Alfresco, with a glass of wine while playing ”Fetch the Washing Peg” with the Property Owner’s Jack Russell, her name is Puppy. She must have enjoyed her playtime as the peg was bent and torn in every possible direction.

It was a great trip even though it was not long enough, but we will be back!!!

Love + Light,

A. x

Health Foods + Glowing Skin

Been a busy few days? Long Days? Running out of Time or ideas for a healthy Breakfast…or simply got no tiny idea about what healthy meals consist of?

Want to be healthy? Have glowing skin and feel good about yourself? Then its time to start with the things you consume. It is important to have a healthy Meal to start your day, no pizza from last night, no ready meals out of the microwave and the meal needs to spell out HEALTH … literally!

My perfect example for a healthy + hearty Breakfast is Omlette, with a slice of German Pumpernickel (can be bought at your local Deli or at Coles Supermarket for those living Down Under), a tiny amount of butter, two slices of raw/uncooked salmon and some grated cucumber to garnish.

While it might not look like enough, trust me it is. It is healthy and full of healthy goodness. Of course there is different varieties which you can make up yourself but its a basic example of a quickly made healthy Breakfast.

Enjoy + Think Healthy Goodness, your Body will thank you later!

Spring Day + Fashion = OOTD

Having just come back from a nice well earned Lunch date with my other half, so has the eagerness of writing another Blog Post. (Clearly I do enjoy my creative writing opportunities haha)

I have come to realize that it has been quite a while since i last wrote an OOTD / Fashion Post, so today you are totally in luck!

As it is still officially Spring here in the south eastern corner of Australia, so has of course the fashion and clothing choices. From snug booties, skinny jeans and coats, the choices are now floating between midi skirts, dresses, a light jacket if it is a coolish day or morning.

So, today’s outfit of the day has been summertime inspired. Maxi dress and a light jacket which happens to be my favorite jeans jacket, a nice pair of flats and my favorite pair of sunglasses.

While my car became uncomfortably hot during my drive to my lunch location, with me opening the windows to cool down, the day in itself did not. It was blue sky and sun rays but to no extreme heatwave after all it is still Spring.

I hope you enjoy the Photographs and I hope that they somehow inspire your fashion choices this summer season.

Sending Love & Light,

A. x

When the warmer weather hits…entertainment calls.

Of course with the warmer weather approaching quite fast and seeing that the days get longer, the sun rises early in order to enjoy the day fully, important are also the times spent with family at BBQ’s’s or catching up with friends over a glass of wine after a busy day to wind down or champagne even (if there happens to be anything to celebrate…usually there is…)

While there is millions and billions and even trillions of recipes out there to have as an Entertainer or Finger Food as some of might call it, I have come across possible a favorite recipe of mine, while flicking through the Coles Recipe Book of November twenty fourteen.

Just imagine … its Summer, a sunny day + absolutely beautiful weather, clear sky. Your first thought? A get-together with family and friends or your Neighbors from next door over some Appetizers and a nice BBQ.

Lamb cutlets, steak, turkish bread, a variety of salads served as Mains, but what to do when guests arrive and the BBQ is not get ‘ready to go’? Help is here with Prawn Cocktail Sliders, easy made and absolutely delicious, your guests will talk about this recipe for quite some time to come.

Prawn Cocktail Sliders

24 (6 pkts) Bake at Home Coles white dinner rolls

1 x Herbed Aioli

2 tbs finely chopped dill

48 (about 1.5kg) cooked, peeled prawns (halves lengthways)

1 baby cos lettuce, finely shredded

have some Wedges to serve also.

Method

1. Bake bread following packet instructions.

2. Cut Prawns lengthways

3. Wash + Shred Baby Cos Lettuce

4. Take bread out of oven and cut into halves

5. Spread Aioli onto both halves

6. Add cos lettuce, prawns and some dill.

Enjoy !

Have YOU Got The Country Charm?

Living in Suburbia with close proximity to the City Business District [CBD] can be clearly envisioned by anyone literally, bright Lights, loud Music, Noise, many People many of them in Suits and Business Attire, rush Hour, long and draining train Commutes, hectic Lifestyle and ‘9-5’ Office Hours.

However living in the Rural Area where the picking of Grapes, Fruits/Vegetables and the making of Wines is a daily and seasonal Occurrence. The early Mornings where waking up at 5:30am to a bunch of wild Birds including Rosellas [Australian Natives] is the most beautiful thing, where cuddles with my partner along with a nice Coffee/Hot Chocolate and Mixed Grill Breakfast are part of our Morning Routine and Trips to the Shops are about an Hour’s drive away. Where you see your Neighbours drive by in their working Utes giving a wave or toot as they go past, where the sound of the Tractor on the Paddock across the Field past the boundary line fence of the Property I am currently staying at keeps me relaxed and calm and the feeling of the Wind softly blowing through my Hair as I go out onto the back Porch to enjoy the stunning Rays of Sunshine with not a worry in my mind [coffee in hand! 😉 ]

A Place where Team-Work is essential, the Credit Card takes the Purchases at the Country Markets, Cattle Yards and the yearly Country Fairs compared to Myers, Designer Retailers and the well known Junk Food Franchises while your Overall Health is paramount and hugely important.

Where my “Business Attire“ consists of my favorite R.M.Williams Boots, Stockyard Jeans and R.M.Williams Shirt [of course in my favorite color you guessed it]

A Place where working on Property is not considered hard Labor but the Love of working on a Farm and making this Place a Charming Country Home. A rural Place far away from the hectic and busy City Life, a rural Setting where Forty Cattle stare at you from the other side of the Fence while Sheep and Lambs, the big variety of Chickens, a Dog and Cat are your best friends and the beginning of the day starts and ends from

‘When the Sun comes up until the Sun goes down’. #singit

Surely, living on Property is not for Everyone, but for those who cherish and enjoy this Lifestyle so be it. Personally I am a City Girl but have taken admiration to having

‘The Best of Both Worlds‘

#RuralLiving #CountryCharm #RMWilliams #HowluckyamI

 

Rewind after a busy Morning or Day

Nothing worse then missing 5 Alarms and realizing you’re late to make the train on time as you also still have to get a train ticket and during peak hour the queue is super long… #morningblues

However after picking up my Partner, heading to the station and making our way to our seats, while talking about our Future, Aspirations, Goals, Ideas and previous Achievements its almost time to get off at our station within the Melbourne City Centre.

It was a crazy morning with meeting and appointments all over the place but over the Lunch break I needed to rewind and simply sit down with a Coffee or Hot chocolate and chill out. The perfect place to be was Theobroma Chocolate Lounge.

Nicely set up within one of Melbourne’s iconic Shopping Precincts and a straight reminder from my three years at University, came the calm Atmosphere and relaxing Environment the Lounger offers. All Staff were absolutely amazing in providing excellent Customer Service!

While the Menu gave a good indication of what they have to offer, my Partner looked quite perplexed at the various Beverages they had, of course I suggested my favorite. Milk Chocolate in a Mug and Warmer 😉 Perfect for a cool day or those Winter Months – just as a Reference.

And yes, he loves it, couldn’t wipe the smile of his Face. 🙂

So for all you Coffee or Chocolate Lovers out there, this place is the most amazing one I have been too, thanks to my Friend Shirvani from my days at University, she was the one who introduced me to this place first. So thank you.

Love & Light,

  A. x

Blogging 101: Beauty, my Favorites and Products

To all you Beauties out there,

here I am today to give you an insight into what products I currently have and use on my Face & Body and which ones are my absolute favorites at the moment.

I hope you that this post somehow does inspire you or does make you check out the relevant site listed below of each product I have spoken to you about in today’s Blog Post.

While I do believe that each one of us is different in the sense that we are all an individuality with our own personality, traits and behaviors. I hope that you like my video and embrace our differences. How boring it would be otherwise if we all liked the same products, had the same beautician and makeup routine, I am so not even going to go any further as it would be quite pointless. Anyway, embrace your individualism and be inspired.

Details on what is in my Makeup/Beauty Bag:

Rosehip Facial Foaming Cleanser, http://www.coles.com.au, $14

Crop Organic Argan Oil, http://www.coles.com.au around $10

Ecotan Tanning Creme, http://www.ecotan.com.au/ $34 excluding postage & shipping

Ecotan Coconut Sunscreen, http://www.ecotan.com.au/ $29.95

The Ecotan Range specifically has also various Stockists throughout Australia, please check their website first as you might find a local Stockist near where you live.

Urban Decay Illuminating Beauty Balm, https://www.beautybay.com/ $48.00

Urban Decay Bronzer, http://www.beautybay.com/  $28.90

Be Inspired,

A. x

OOTD Spring and Summer

Good Morning to all of you on this nice quiet Sunday Morning. While it is now a little foggy in patches outside and half of you are possibly still asleep in bed and recovering from last nights outings here I am ready to start my Day. Sometimes I literally wish to be able to sleep in until noon but my Body Timer thinks otherwise, at least this way I don’t miss out on getting things done and out of the way early in the day.

While it is supposed to be quite a dry and hot Summer ahead, so is each day’s outfit one I decide at least the night before haha. Not that I don’t know what to wear but the choices… Unlike the Men who basically get up and put on whatever they see first that somehow resembles a piece of clothing!

I do enjoy the Spring time yet am a complete Summer Babe when it comes to those hot days where the city is still a buzz at Midnight and well after, eating ice cream and looking at the night sky or enjoy the littlest breeze of wind that has decided to sweep through and cool us down a bit.

Today’s Outfit comes thanks to the Ladies and Gentlemen at Target and Saboskirt. Told you I mix and match with high/ low valued items. Both Fashion Places are of course affordable and super fashionable!

Top: This Top is a bit like a loose fitting crop top, super comfortable and great to dress up or down. For purchase opportunities head to: http://www.target.com.au

Shorts: While these Shorts are stunning they have been made with a twist, the front is made with leather, giving that leathery, sexy look while the back is normal fabric!

Shoes: again my new found Favorite from Target, perfect for any Occasion 🙂

Accessories: various

Blogging 101: Summer Workouts and all year round

It being now October, meaning Spring is officially here and provides warmer, longer and sunnier days. Finally being able to shed the layers and so also the extra kilos put on over the winter months.

Finally getting back into my routine of 5:30am wake ups and the urge to work out and get into shape. However having worked with various PT’s in the past and loads of different workout routines which all have done not a whole lot of difference which made me think of how I can best get results and a workout I am motivated to do with results of course.

So I basically surfed the Net and with Social Network these days I came across the incredible Kayla Itsines who works within the Fitness Industry as a Personal trainer and literally gives the best motivations and with her work out I can actually see results, see for yourself when you purchase her book Bikini Body Guide 1.0

I have purchase both her Guide and nutritional Books and am following her weekly work outs almost religiously where I can, in between work and other commitments.

If you want results, start now! Summer is only a few mere weeks away. Remember also to be proud of how you look as you are all beautiful and gorgeous in your own ways. If you would like to purchase her books please click the link above 🙂

A. x

Bright Mornings

Time to open your eyes, hop out of bed and start your day! Mine starts early, 5:30am and I’m off to do my work out which is nice when it’s a forecasted sunny day at the sun come up just after 6am, makes my day so much brighter.

Now the majority of you work 9-5 Office Hours. Some start work at other times but there is no excuse for a.) No breakfast at all or  b.) Chewing down last nights pizza to be able to say you had something to eat!

We all need energy throughout the day and as many times as you’ve heard but not believed it… Breakfast is the key to a fully energized day!

I am not talking about eating “a horse”

but including some healthy options
and something quick for those who are on the get go after their alarm has gone off to make it to work in time.

Why not try a few Oats and Banana mixed with Full Cream Milk? I added some Chocolate Cereal as a sweet twist though.

It is important to stay fit, healthy and energized in. Order to be happy with who you are!

Further I am currently doing a little Teatox, with Clean Sheets Cheats. They offer 14 and 28 Day Teatoxes to help flush out toxins in your system. This has helped me get a bit more energy so why not give it a go yourself? Below some Breakfast Inspo.