West Life

I have lusted over Lazy Oaf for years, literally. When we went to London at the start of 2016 I went into their store in Carnaby and just wanted everything, but bought nothing. I do not own a single piece of Lazy Oaf. For someone who looks at their site on an almost daily basis you think I would by now but I am so bad at treating myself and their clothes are on the pricy side, by my standards anyway. I am a sales queen and will rarely buy anything that isn't ridiculously cheap. 

My goal for this year is to buy a piece of Lazy Oaf. 

If I don't buy something by the end of the year can someone please slap me. 

Anyway, they have just released their Spring/Summer rang (UK based company) and I am wanting everything! I did manage to narrow it down though to my top 5, so here we go.

Lazy Oaf Lazy Panel Zip Sweatshirt 

Lazy Oaf Anti Social T-Shirt

Lazy Oaf Shark Bite Bikini Top

Lazy Oaf Do Nothing T-Shirt

Lazy Oaf Uninvited T-Shirt

What would be on your wish list?

Thanks for stopping by!

Buying a house was a challenge, mainly due to the fact that we also love to travel. Just over two years ago we were told that the owner of our rental wanted to sell and that meant we had to move. Even though it was only our second rental we were sick of having to move, especially with a cat in tow. We made the decision to move in with Matt's parents for a year and save up for a house. I am so thankful that we had that opportunity and can't thank Matt's parents enough for having us. Living there for a year meant we not only got to buy a house but we also went to Europe in that year.

When we started looking for a house we knew what we wanted. We wanted an old character home that was liveable. Previously living in newer built houses we knew that wasn't what we were after and we loved looking at old bungalows and cottage style homes. We weren't meant to look at our house but I am so glad we did. The moment we walked in I was in love. The next weekend we bought Matt's parents to have a look and they looked at everything my rose-coloured glasses didn't, such as does it have enough linen space? Has it been rewired? etc etc Of course we got a building inspector but they looked at the practicality of the house and didn't just gush over the high ceilings and giant fireplaces.

We worked hard to get our loan sorted and even put in an offer before our loan had come through. After some negotiations we signed the papers on our 1920s corner block home, with a shop front lounge room that used to be a school canteen (fitting for a teacher, right?)

So we have been in the house for a year. Thankfully when we bought the house all the hard work was done, new kitchen, new bathroom, rewired, so we haven't had to put any money into the house. Matt and his brother built a fence to make the backyard a little more private but that is the only major change we have made. If we had more money, I would re-do the bathroom as it wasn't done very well and isn't to my taste, but alas, we travel too much. 

We have made it through a whole year in this house and I grow more in love with it everyday. It feels so good waking up every morning knowing I don't have to move any day soon. 

Here are some photos of my favourite areas of the house. It's a big house but considering it's just the two of us we only really use three rooms. There is still lots I want to add but for now I am comfortable and this is my home.

 Thanks for visiting, see you again soon :)

I love this time of the year, hot cross buns, chocolate, cooler weather and best of all 4 whole days off! Sometimes though people get stuck for ideas of what to do so I have complied a list of 5 things you could do over the Easter long weekend.

1. Have a movie day Matt and I have already put into our calendars to spend all of Sunday in our pyjamas eating hot cross buns and watching movies. Spending all day in our pyjamas is a rarity in this household, but I am so looking forward to Sunday and having a day of much needed relaxation.



2. Go out for Brunch. Brunching is one of our favourite things to do. Recently we went to Aldinga to visit Rosey's. It was such a lovely spot for brunch and with the forecast for this weekend looking great in Adelaide it is a good time to enjoy their excellent outdoor seating area, sit back and listen to the multitudes of Corella's they have in the area. Best thing is, they're open Easter Friday/Saturday/Sunday and Monday 9am-12:30.




3. Mini Golfing! Again, the forecast is looking excellent. Why not make a day of it and head down to Victor Harbour and check out Dunes Mini Golf, go for a stroll to Granite Island and grab some lunch at one of the many cafes in the area. Victor Harbour too far? West Beach also have a great mini golf spot or head to the Beach House at Glenelg.




4. Visit the Adelaide Zoo. Adelaide Zoo is one of my favourite places in the world. I don't think I really need to explain why going to the zoo is a good idea, just look at the place.




5. Go for a drive. One of our favourite things to do on the weekend is go for a country drive. We are so spoilt in Adelaide, we have the ocean to the west, the hills to the east and wineries to the north and south, just take your pick.



I hope you all have a fantastic long weekend, however you choose to celebrate it. Make sure you get plenty of rest and relaxation in, enjoy time with family and friends and most importantly, eat lots of chocolate!

xx

How good is Lush? 

When I heard they had released their Easter range I knew I had to get something. I always miss out on the special ranges because I am far too slow in getting into a store. I know I could buy online, but they haven't invented the ability to smell through a screen yet and I like to smell everything.

We headed down to the Marion store at Westfield last Sunday and picked up a couple of things we needed, a couple we didn't and of course a few from the Easter range.

The first thing I had my eye on was the ever famous Golden Egg. It is so glittery that even picking it up left the thickest layer of gold glitter all over my fingers. It's a bath melt which means that it is full of butters and oils that just make your skin feel so silky smooth after it's great. This one obviously will also leave you with a nice golden shine which is just an added bonus. 

The second Easter item I picked up was the Bunch of Carrots. These carrots are reusable bubble bars, all you do is swish them around in your bath to create however many bubbles you like, then place them to the side to use next time. Genius! These carrots are made from Sicilian lemon, bergamot and buchu oils so they smell amazing.

Unfortunately that was all in the range of bath bombs etc that the Marion store had from the Easter range and I wasn't quite satisfied leaving it at that, so in the basket hopped Rose Bombshell. I've had this one before so I knew I liked it. It has such a lovely floral smell to it and as the outer shell breaks away in the bath all these petals burst out and float in the bath, it's magnificent. 

The last bath bomb we picked up, well actually, Matt picked up was Guardian of the Forest. He has specifically told me I am under no circumstances to use it, he even told me not to look at it. I can't help myself though, it is so beautiful. It has such a masculine smell to it, I might have to convince him to share it with me. It has cypress oil, rosewood oil, lime oil and oakmoss absolute. Surely I'm not the only girl who likes masculine smells?

Next into the basket was a pot of Kalamazoo which is a face and beard wash, as Matt was out. Matt uses this daily and it makes his face smell all pineapple-y, it's amazing. Admittedly too I have used it when I have forgotten to use my usual Ultrabland.

The last thing in our basket was a Charity Pot. We look at these every time we go into Lush but we have never bought one. Popping this in our basket was actually Matt's idea and it was a last minute at the counter purchase. I haven't used it properly yet but Matt has been using it on his hands and was amazed at how quickly it made his hands super soft. 100% of the profit (besides taxes) from the sales of these pots goes to whatever charity is on the top of the pot. The proceeds of our purchase went to the Oceania Project. 

What's your favourite Lush product? Do you have any recommendations? 

When I first heard about Shanghai Disneyland opening I just knew I had to go. I mean, Matt and I had already said we were going to go to all the Disneyland Parks before we had children but Shanghai opened after we had said that.

Initially we had only planned to spend 1 day in Disneyland Shanghai. We had just been to the one in Hong Kong (which you can read about here) and that was small enough to do in one day so we figured Shanghai would be the same. How wrong we were!

Stepping into Shanghai Disneyland I was instantly blown away. I mean I am always blown away when walking into a Disney park but seriously have you seen Shanghai's castle? It is freakin' huge! I can't remember the exact order of things we did so I will just give you a run down of my favourite things.



1. Obviously the castle. It is probably, I mean definitely, my favourite castle. It's huge. My only complaint is that I can't live in it. Seriously, just look at this thing.



2. The Tron ride. If you have been on it you'll know what I'm talking about. You sit on it like a motorbike and are then launched into an outdoor area before heading back inside for a Space Mountain-esque ride. It's hands down one of my favourite Disney rides.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean. I went into it expecting it to be the same as the other Pirate rides but it was so much more. Disneyland Shanghai have truly outdone themselves with that ride. We went on it at least 4 times and left wanting more.



4. The attention to detail in everything. There aren't overly a huge amount of thrill rides but there is so much to just see which is why we opted to do two days in the end instead of jut the one we had planned for.



I could write about it all day but this would go on forever. If you are thinking about heading there definitely do! It was well worth the trip and I wish I could go back.

My tips for if you are heading there! 

1. Definitely go in off-peak time. We were fairly lucky with wait times, I have heard it can get pretty busy though. The biggest line for us was the Roaring Rapids, sitting at around 3 hours. We went on it once and then headed straight there on day 2 to get a fast pass.



2. Vegetarian options are limited and aren't that exciting. I had a burger at Stargazer Grill (wasn't advertised on their main menu) and a vegetable stack at Barbosa's Bounty that wasn't overly appetising. Even outside of Disneyland isn't that great so keep that in mind.



3. We encountered a lot of people trying to push in. The children go first and then the parents try and follow. Stand tall and don't let them through, often they are just trying to get to the front. We had a lady hitting our backs and yelling at us but we just ignored her and eventually she stopped. She wasn't meeting anyone, just wanted to get in front.

This trip feels like so long ago now! 

Last year in October Matt and I went to Shanghai and Hong Kong purely to visit their Disneyland Parks and it was a trip that really didn't disappoint. We weren't gone for long but it was an amazing trip and I would definitely go back to both.

Incase you missed it you can find my post on Hong Kong Disneyland here and there is still a post on Shanghai Disneyland to come so definitely stay tuned. 

Enjoy! and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can keep up to date there as well.

I finally found time to upload my video that I made of our trip to Komodo National Park and I have exciting news!

I am making a return to the realm of YouTube. If you know me (which I gather a lot of my readers are friends and family) then you will know that I used to make monthly videos. After a much needed year and a bit long break I have decided that I will start it up again (fingers crossed anyway), on a new channel though. 

There won't be one for the month of March as I am uploading this and a video about Hong Kong and Shanghai but you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be one up at the end of April/early May.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!