How to cook a chook...maybe

Hello world!


Remember I promised the Husbands' "famous" roast chook recipe. Well turns out He can't exactly remember said recipe. I know what you're thinking, like seriously whatta lamo excuse but sadly this is totally true.

Seems the Husband is an organic cook. Not as in he only uses organic ingredients ( which he occasionally does) but a cook who uses whatever ingredients takes his fancy and just "goes with da flow". While this all sounds very cool and hipster in theory, recording his tried and tested recipes is a pain because he never tests anything!

Anyway in order to pin point exactly why the damn chook is so delicious, I'm going to have to instigate a whole new cooking session, and watch him like a stalker while 'he goes with da flow'.

In the meantime you may wish to know Lily is hotfooting off to Malaysia for a week to overdose on Laksa and Roti.

What a tragic life she has, final semester at Uni, a job that keeps enough cash flow to buy shoes but not enough for mum and dad to kick her out (not they ever would mind you) and a sister as cool as me.

Anyway no doubt she will be updating ya'll in a weeks time. As for me, despite a serious case of horrendous hayfever I've bought a few nifty items, one of which I'd like to share:

 

This Napoleon Perdis Brow Pencil is awesome. For around $28 you get precision perfect brows without the chalky residue. As a retired make-up artist (meaning I did a course at our local technical school thinking I could be the next Kevin Aucoin, mmm not so much) I thoroughly recommend it.

That about it from me today, but I'll check in soon. Totes proms.

xx Rose.
 

The final countdown

Hello world!

I have some very exciting news. Finally, FINALLY after three years of living in the Sahara Desert (or somewhere in Canberra) the Husband and I have started backyard renovations.

For me this is comparable to getting VIP tickets to The Oprah Reunion/ Favourite Things Show and never having to pluck my eyebrows ever again. For those who know me intimately, you know this is a BIG call.

Anyway before I get ahead of myself and completely lose the plot, basically 'the dirt track once masquerading as a backyard' is slowly looking less ‘dirt like’ and I guess more respectable ‘family home like’. See evidence:

Of course the sum total of my contribution to the renovation has been Googling “landscaping Canberra” and procuring said landscaper. I know it’s sooo hard right? but someone had to do it. So while the landscapers have been hard yakking (which to non-Aussies is an Australian colloquial term from um olden times meaning ‘hard work’) I’ve been hard knitting!





I’ve always wanted to knit, but having been hindered by a fear of fiddly activities I’ve generally avoided anything crafty. But my lovely colleague at work Miss B has taught me that just because something is fiddly doesn’t mean it’s not satisfying, bit like playing music I spose. I’m still totes at the beginner stage but Miss B tells me I’ll get the hang of it in no time. We’ll see eh?


That’s about it from me folks and before any of you get all “hold on there little missy, you promised in your last post that you’d put up photos of your dinner party”, I confess the dinner went so seamlessly that I completely forgot to pull out my camera. I mean fancy hosting/attending a social gathering and not putting up photos on Facebook/Blogger/Twitter within a nano-second. Some people are so weird...

Anyway all jokes aside it was super fun and I really did mean to share it with you but my camera died and I was too busy eating and hobnobbing. No photos this time but chook recipe up toms. Totes proms.


Lots of love for now. Until next time...Rose. xx

Greensleeves

Hello world!

A quick one today although I promise to post on my upcoming dinner party with lovely Miss I and her Mr next week.

Oh and the reason I'm having said dinner party is because I now have a six seater dining table!

I will of course be contributing zero culinary skills but Miss I has promised to supply her famous pannacotta and The Husband is cooking his famous roast chook. Photos and recipes soon.

As for today I had to share my love for this fabulous Witchery dress.

http://www.witchery.com.au/her/dresses/cap-sleeve-knit-dress?color=EMERALD

Formal dresses with long sleeves are so few and far between, plus combined with the gorgeous colour/shape I'd say this one's in the bag. Well not my bag because I have to spend my moolah on sensible things like a new gate for my backyard (yawn).

Anyway hope you all have a great rest of week!

Until next time...Rose xx.

     



 

Forget Me Not

Helllloo readers! Apologies a thousand times over for leaving such a long pause between posts. Remember my saying Rose and I share many similarities? Sporadic and intermittent blogging is obviously one of them. Rose mentioned in her previous post that I’ve entered my last semester of uni (yaya!) so unfortunately I’ve gotten a little caught with it. Rest assured though that I have not forgotten you. I am very much looking forward to finishing university but as I approach the end of my five years I’m starting to appreciate it a lot more. It’s dawned on me that I will no longer be able to see my friends every day, spend hours lounging in the sun, or have as many days off as I do. I am currently at uni two days this semester, which means for those whose weeks are 5 days working and 2 day weekends, my weeks are in reverse. I know, I know, it’s a hard life!

The ANU Law School. Have spent as much time on the lawns as I have in the building

 The month of August saw my attending ANU’s annual law ball, which is THE event of the university’s social calendar. You may think I’m kidding but I do not jest. Picture an elaborate online ticketing system where tickets sell faster than a one direction concert, and those who miss out offer their kidney in exchange for a ticket. I’ve attended four out five balls in my years at law school, and this was one of my most enjoyable. Beautiful company, lovely food, and a chance to glam-it-up at the Great Hall in Parliament House, what’s not to enjoy? The ball also gave me a chance to break out my Azzedine Alaia pumps, purchased well over a year ago and the apple of my eye (feet). These are my favourite shoes in a prized shoe collection.

I am a regular Cruella De Vil (but not actually!)




Tiramisu cake served at Law Ball, yum! 

Annnd last but not least here’s my take on The Dark Knight Rises as a reply to Rose’ last post. Are we not the best blogging, movie reviewing sisters the internet has ever seen?! Rhetorical question, don’t answer it, not even in your head. I’ll skip the plot summary as my Sis did a fabu job and go straight to the part where I say I freaking loved the movie!! Everybody enjoys a little superhero action but Christopher Nolan is a wonderful director in being able to imbue all three Batman films with a certain darkness, character development, and emotion which takes the movies well beyond your average superhero flick. The Dark Knight Rises does not disappoint, and unlike Rose I enjoyed it just as much as I did its predecessors. I also had an extremely scary nightmare featuring the villain Bane a few nights later, so trust me the thrills, spills, twists and turns are all in there! 

 

 



Until next time,
Lily

Good movies rise again

Hello world!

Rose here. Apologies for the snooze fest on the blogger front of late.

Unfortunately, Lily is in the throes of 'final semester at uni, must get out to the real world as fast as my kitten heels can take me and earn big bucks' mode, while I'm currently in 'OMG winter is ending and all I have is a wardrobe full of oversized jumpers and leggings (my winter uniform) what will I wear in spring?? dooom, doooom'.

Cartoon cat

Real cat*

Anyway to combat such *tragical circumstances, Lily and I have both been to the movies to watch the following. Here’s my take:

Batman- The Dark Knight Rises

Well what can I say, who would have thought a movie about a comic superhero with villains called 'The Penguin', 'The Joker' and wait for it... ‘The Riddler’ (ooooh scaaary) could take such a dark, maudlin and gothic turn in Christopher Nolan's reboot of Batman.

Batman-The Dark Knight Rises takes off after seven years of 'The Bat' in hiding. While Gotham still mourns the death of anti-corruption 'hero' Harvey Dent, with crime in the city at an all time low, there's an almost subdued feeling in the air. And when I say subdued, I actually mean deeply ominous.

Because you see, lurking underneath in the sewers of Gotham is perhaps the most brutish villain of them all. Bane played with appropriate levels of ‘bat crap crazy’ by Tom Hardy is out to destroy the city and its corrupt system of law (which to be fair is kinda seedy) and replace it people power and justice for all...or fascism.

Anyway as we’ve seen many a time in folklore and reality, while ‘people power’ is always a fantabulous idea in theory, without a system of law and order it ends up being as corrupt and chaotic as any other system of governance.

Insert photos of Christian Bale whenever possible

So to cut a long story short (as the movie is a little long) the ultimate battle begins. Will The Dark Knight Rise again and overcome the tragedy of losing his parents and his childhood love Rachel and save Gotham? Or will Bane finally destroy Gotham and turn it into the "utopia" it’s never likely to be?

Well you’ll just have to see it to find out wont you?!

As for my verdict, I freakin loved it. I think Mr Nolan is a genius for illustrating the complex layers that underpin the superhero genre. Take note creators of such classics as The Green Lantern and um Elektra. While not to the same level as The Dark Knight, with Health Ledger’s unbelievably melancholic and intense performance, this is still top class film making. I give it a hearty 4/5.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention, Anne Hathaway is da bomb as ‘badass with a past’ Catwoman, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard and Morgan Freeman are solid and Christian Bale?  Well I'm just waiting for him to realise that being a brooding, handsome and insanely talented/rich  actor is nothing compared to being married to moi....dare to dream.

Anyway with that little gem I now bid you all farewell.

Until next time...Rose xx

*Anne of Green Gables
*Newest addition to the Rose family, "Gibi" the boy ginger cat.

Dining & Styling

Hello world,

It’s Lily again with my much awaited second post. I say much awaited as Rose literally just texted me with ‘oi when u doin your post?’ I’d like to say this was due to the magnificence of my first entry, but it’s more likely due to the fact that I should have gotten this entry up a while ago, apologies! Last week saw me babysitting Little Rose (thanks to sister for her kind words in ‘the perfect tableau’ and yes I am a fabulous Aunt), attending the wedding of my best friend (await my next post) and falling ill with a cold (resulting in a general desire not to use my brain). However, with a little encouragement from a good friend, a day of rest, and the soothing sounds of Amy Winehouse I’m ready to discuss all things dine-y and style-y. 

Adore Tea in Gold Creek is a place I’ve been dying to visit, so lucky for me I recently went there and avoided the slow death that catches people who don’t have enough flavoured tea in their system. Jokes aside, sipping delicious tea by a cosy fireplace was the perfect way to pass a wintery Canberra afternoon. I sampled the apple and cinnamon, whilst my lovely friend Miss A enjoyed the coconut. They also have a range of sweet treats on the menu which I got a good look at given the waiters kept bringing us food we did not order (I had a plate of waffles waved temptingly under my nose TWICE). Adore Tea features local jazz bands on Sunday afternoons, so this coupled with the delightful tea makes it a place I will definitely be revisiting.

As Rose mentioned I also visited Soju Girl in the same week she did, word of good restaurants in Canberra gets round fast. Collectively we sampled the zucchini flowers, cauliflower flowerets, soft shell crab, tiger prawns, and whole baby snapper with chilli jam. Please note that minus the snapper the rest of these were small plates to share as my friends and I are not training to eat as much as Matt Preston. We really enjoyed all the food, particularly the snapper as the chilli jam was to die for! Soju Girl has an extensive menu and I’m already looking forward to going back there, I’ve got my eye on their wagyu carpaccio. The other thing I loved about Soju Girl was the interior and ambiance of the place. We sat at their communal table where you’re seated on stools at the four corners of a large table across from other diners. It was a fun way to dine but just a tip, it’s not suitable if your party is more than four people. J

 

Moving onto other topics, one thing you must know about me is that I love my online shopping. And I mean LOVE. I recently needed my clutch collection updated before abovementioned wedding, so onto Google I went with the complex search term ‘online clutches.’ This is how I discovered Style Tread (http://www.styletread.com.au/) and picked up the two goodies you see here. I’ve always been a fan of Olga Berg and I went with these two because I wanted some staples that could be pulled out to go with any outfit. The black retails for $49.95 where I paid $24.90 while the silver retails for $29.95 and I paid $14.90.  When I say bargain, you say yes!

 

When it comes to the Kardashians style is not something that comes to mind. That being said sometimes inspiration can come from unexpected places, which is why I was surprised when I found I really liked Kourtney K’s outfit above. I used her outfit as inspiration when putting together my ensemble below, which are both pieces I had purchased online a while before and had not thought to combine. The next time you get some fashion inspiration take a look through your wardrobe, because you may just have exactly what you need!




 

 

Posing with Miss G in Urban Outfitters blouse with vintage skirt

Until we meet again,

Lily xx



Robbing Peter to pay Sportsgirl

Hello world!

Rose here. Just a quick couture (show off) update. As many of you may remember I am no heels girl, as my post From Heels to Eternity will attest.

I do however love a flat shoe. So much so that I pretty much carry flats with me where ever I go....which is also why I wear most out within three to six months. Given this, with a heavy heart (yeah right) and a shallow pocket I trekked out to Sportsgirl yesterday to buy my latest pair.

Even though I am neither sporty and at 28 really a 'girl', I have always loved iconic Australian brand Sportsgirl (SG). And even though the quality of certain SG items are a bit dubious and stock is often on sale, which means the original prices are always over inflated, I love that the store is always on trend and there's a whimsical/fun quality to the clothes.

Couture update

Couture update

My latest must haves, besides flat shoes are enamel stud earrings (as displayed above). Given the right pair, I think they can really 'up' the glamour quotient of outfits and avoid the classic 'beautiful but dangly earrings caught in hair' situation.

Right now I'm loving these iridescent square studs from American giant Forever 21 and at $2.80 (USD) they are the ultimate bird bargain (cheeeeap, cheeeeap).

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=f21&Category=acc_earrings&ProductID=1000048807&VariantID=

Am off for a spot of meditation then taking Little Rose to her second guitar lesson!

Hope you're all having a fab week.
Until next time...Rose. xx