Friday, April 19, 2013

04/20/2013

Breathing a sigh of relief.

The second suspect is now in custody. I can't help but tear up when I think about this. It was only five days ago when this nightmare began. As per usual I woke up & checked my facebook. Sadly, this is the quickest way to get the news these days. There were several posts about Boston & the Boston Marathon; I then turned on the news. The news was flooded with different accounts of what happened. I let the news sink in before I watched any footage. Once I allowed myself to watch the live footage I was instantly a blubbering mess.

There were thousands of people participating in this marathon. People from twenty six countries participated in this event this year alone. My heart goes out to all those affected by these horrific acts. Living in fear is not what living is about. I can't help but continue with bated breath about what will take place next. I can only hope that we will get the answers that we are so desperately seeking.

For now, I'm so thankful for the work of the Boston Police Department, and all others who contributed to the arrest of the second suspect. My thoughts and deepest sympathy go out to those who lost loved ones & those still recovering from serious injuries in the bombing, and subsequent events following the bombing.


Monday, April 15, 2013

DIY! Monday



Now that I'm a stay at home girlfriend I've got a lot more time on my hands. I'm on Pinterest pretty often. There are so many amazing at home ideas for hair/skin remedies. I never liked spending exorbitant amounts of money on brand name creams and the like. I've now given a fair few of these diy things a test. I use bi-carbonate soda or baking soda as a face cleanser. I also use it as a jewellery cleaner, and teeth whitener, and a hair clarifier. I figured I'll just share a few here and there on the ol' blog with different products. Today is...

Bi-carbonate/Baking Soda

Facial Cleanser/Mask:
-1 tblsp of bicarb soda
-Roughly 1/4 tsp of water
-Pour the bicarb soda into hand, lightly add water until bicarb soda becomes a light paste.
-Massage the face onto freshly cleansed skin
-Leave mixture on for 30 seconds or 1 minute.
-Rinse off with cool water.

I pour about a tablespoon into my hand, sprinkle some water on it until it becomes a light past and massage into my problem areas. I leave it on for thirty seconds or so, and rinse. This has really cleared my skin up. A lot of pinners state that it minimizes pores, I haven't seen that. But it definitely helps clear up break outs. Sometimes when Paul is broken out or has a bit of razor burn I convince him to use it too. He's a bit of a baby though & says it stings. It stings a bit, but with regular use the stinging basically goes away.

Dry.


What it looks like as a paste.


On Le face. I don't usually put any on my forehead, unless it's broken out. That's luckily, the one place I don't generally break out. Don't mind the hair. I've got a hair mask on too.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/27/baking-soda-natural-remedy.aspx

Teeth Whitener:
-1 fresh lemon
-1 tbsp bicarb soda
-1 toothbrush other than your daily used toothbrush.
-Pour bicarb soda onto plate/bowl.
-Take fresh lemon and squirt a few drops onto bicarb soda.

About a tablespoon of bicarb soda onto a plate/bowl then squeeze fresh lemon juice on top. Just a few drops until the soda starts to bubble. Once it's finished bubbling use a toothbrush to mix it into a paste. Then brush your teeth as you would with the paste, rinse and repeat. But only once a week. I think this has helped. I used to buy expensive teeth whiteners, but I feel much more comfortable using natural remedies for a fraction of the cost.

Jewellery Cleaner:
-1 tbsp bicarb soda
-1 tbsp salt
-1.5/2 tbsp dish soap
-1 cup boiling water
-1 bowl
-Aluminium Foil

In a bowl with a sheet of tinfoil I poured a cup of boiling water, onto a tbsp of bicarb soda, salt, and dish soap. I then placed the jewlery into the mixture, and watched it bubble a bit. This jewellery was looking pretty sad. The mixture definitely helped. I haven't worn any of my Tiffany jewellery for a few years, because it's just been too dirty. But now I've been able to start wearing it again!


Note: The reflection on the bottom heart is actually my phone case...not the silver itself.

Hair Clarifier:
-1.5 tbsp bicarb soda
-About 3 tbsp shampoo
-A bowl

I put the bicarb soda into a bowl, then added about 3 tablespoons of shampoo. I've been having a lot of issues with my hair holding curls lately. I've literally never had this issue before. I never even used to use hair spray. Now all the hair spray in the world won't hold a curl, and I love to curl my hair. So I've been hoping to find a solution. I'm not sure if my hair is just finally so healthy that it won't hold a curl, or if it's something else. I figured I'd give this hair clarifier a chance. Many reviews on line state that product begins to build up in your hair over time. One way to clean all this product out it to add bicarb soda to your shampoo. So that's what I did. It ended up with the scent of a hair toner. The smell itself gave me hope that it would actually work. I let my hair dry and got right onto curling it!

I must say I'm quite happy with the results! I did start with a hair mask of coconut oil (more on that in another blog). So my hair should have been softer. But even with the hair masks I've been doing lately my hair hasn't been this soft. So far so good with the curls. By now they would have already fallen & the haven't yet. Yayyyyy!!!! Looks like another Pinterest winner to me!

I also like to drop about a tbsp of baking soda into the toilet every now and again. It serves as an odor absorbant as well as a cheap/chemical free cleaner.


We had a nice little weekend. Unfortunately, Paul had to work on Saturday. But as soon as he got home we decided to get out of the houe. We took a nice coastal drive to Sorrento for some new views and us time. I can't lie, my coffee tasted more like hot cocoa than a mocha, but we still had a good day! I may have to start drinking cappuccino's. I like the taste of coffee & my usual mochas here are getting a bit old. I don't even drink coffee in the morning anymore. Living in a hotel with the only coffee option being: instant or spending $6 at a cafe, made it pretty easy to move it out of my routine. I now drink a black tea every morning with honey to add some sweetness. I'm addicted! 



There was even a wedding there (taking photos) off in the distance to the right. 




Until next time, folks! I'm waiting for my main squeeze to return from work. We're due for a long avoided jog!


Friday, April 12, 2013

A weekend at home.

This previous weekend was spent back at home. When we purchased our tickets for the xx concert we didn't realize just how long we'd be in Perth. We had to make a special trip home for the show. I was actually looking forward to going home to switch out some of my clothes. I've been recycling the same garbs for the past couple months. Although, I must admit I have done a bit of shopping. I have no issues with admitting that I have a legit shopping addiction. It all started when I was in middle school. I wanted certain things that my parents would never buy. So as soon as I was in high school I looked for a job. Once I started getting pay checks I spent almost every penny shopping. I literally attempted to wear a different outfit every day of the year in senior year of high school. I saved up a couple pay checks just to buy my first Coach purse. I still have that purse, but I don't think I would ever carry it again. That continued until I was about 21. At 21 I still shopped way too much, but less than years prior.

Onwards and upwards...We landed in Melbourne just before midnight. We caught a cab home to a powerless house. While away in Perth our meter was switched out. The power company would not turn the power back on with out someone in the house. They have an after hours number that apparently is a joke. Because, Paul was home over a month ago & they refused to send someone out. We later found out that someone was just being lazy, big surprise. I was quite excited to check the mail box (even though it was the middle of the night). I'm glad I did, because I found a lovely card from my Daddy. Back to the power...I had to read the card under phone light. But I didn't care. It was the best surprise to come home to. There's something exciting about finding 'real' mail from a loved one. Little surprises like this one are what help get me thru the 'lonely' times away from the family.




Dad sent me some pictures of my car back home. The car has a couple feet of snow atop it. As silly as it sounds (to Minnesotans), I'm missing snow. I've never been away from home during an entire winter. I know plenty of Minnesotans are absolutely fed up with the snow. But you don't know what you've got till it's gone! ...Or something like that. With that said I have absolutely no complaints about the beautiful Perth weather. I'm a beach bum. I do my best work laying on the sand, or so my boyfriend says! I knew we were a match on our first trip together. He was completely content to just lay like vegetables on the beach.

After the footy game on Saturday we decided to walk around the city a bit. We haven't been back in Melbourne for more than a weekend in about five months. When we left it was still considered winter. The weather in Melbourne can be rather unpredictable. Paul and I call it bi-polar. The sun will be shining one minute, and in the next minute the clouds roll in, and we are listening/watching a rain storm. So when we had a beautiful arvo left after the game we took advantage! I took a few photos of some of the things that make Melbourne so beautiful. Sorry for the crap photos. I used my phone for these ones.




The Melbourne trams are the largest network tramway in the world. 
They've been operating since 1884. 




Melbourne is pronounced 'Melburn'. If you hear an Aussie say it, it sounds like 'Melbin'. They use very soft r's. So when I saw this street art I had to take a photo.






I'm still trying to wear in these new boots. They are proving to be a bit tighter than I thought they were when I decided I 'needed' them. After our walk I was left with a couple unattractive blisters on my feet.


We found a trumpet playing Elmo. We then continued to walk.


On our walk we found a bagpipe playing Cookie Monster!



On Sunday we had nearly the whole day before our flight. We slept in a bit and decided to go out for brekkie. We went to a relatively new restaurant down the road from home. We've been wanting to go there for a while. But we hadn't been home long enough to go! We started our meal with a cappuccino for Mr. F and a soy mocha for yours truly. They made a mean cup of Joe! My pancakes on the other hand left a bit to be desired. I'm not a fan of syrup, even though I feel like Buddy the Elf and I have striking similarities. I've now learned that if I order pancakes I MUST remember to state no syrup. For whatever reason whenever I eat a breakfast with too much sweetness I end up with a tummy ache. I can't believe parents have been telling the truth about not eating sweets before a meal for all this time!


Now for the piece de resistance: Sour Gummy Worms....pause for reaction. They are my favorite candy! Finding these babies in Oz is like finding a needle in a haystack. Well not that difficult. I suppose I'm being dramatic. They do sell them at one store in Williamstown for about a million dollars. Or you can find a gallon of them at the grocery store. I do not need a gallon. I would end up eating every last one & that is not a good look! While walking to our plane in Melbourne I decided to stare down the candy kiosk. I spotted the gummy worms. I thought about them for about a minute. I then all but demanded $3 from my boyfriend to go buy some. Best money I've ever spent. Please believe I ate every one of them on our 3.5 hour flight! Thank you to the Sweet Doctor at Melbourne airport. I'll see you next time!



Thursday, April 11, 2013

Heave ho, Freo!

While back in Melbourne for the weekend we were also able to catch a Fremantle, Dockers game. I'm still in limbo about who I go for yet. But at the moment, it's easy enough to support the team my boyfriend goes for. So, with that said we were off to a rare game in Melbourne. We also had a rare, but beautiful amount of sun in Melbourne. It was an afternoon game. The sun was out and very warm in Williamstown. But Williamstown weather generally varies vastly to the city. So, alas again I had no idea what to wear. I hate being cold. But I also HATE sweating in public. We've only been to night games so far, so I haven't had to worry about being too warm. For whatever magical reason Melbourne was warm and perfect while we were home. We took the train there. Paul was the only Dockers supporter on the train. It was a Bull Dogs (a Footscray/local team) vs. Dockers (Fremantle/away/way less supported team) game.The game was at Etihad stadium. I had never been there yet. I actually really liked that stadium. It seemed like most seats there would have a good view of the field.


Waiting at the train station. I'm rockin' Paul's laniard.









This poor umpire took a very muscley player at full speed to the knee.



The game was at a stand still for a few minutes.


The poor guy was stretchered off the field. He ended up with a ligament injury. 
He'll be out of the game for the remainder of the season.





PAV!



Game!


This song kills me every time.



Le media.


Some fine specimen. 


Look at those quads, ladies...



Mr. F.




The masses leaving the stadium.


Twisted steel.



Melbourne Town


Look at that face



The train station in the city.


It's only the beginning of the season. But so far the Dockers are looking good. This makes Mr. F very happy. Which in turn makes me very happy. I actually really enjoy watching footy. I love going to the games. It's 100% more entertaining than NFL. They are also such intense athletes. To anyone that gets a chance to check out an AFL game, I would highly recommend doing so. I hope my fam is here at some point during a season, so we can take them to a game.