ANZAC Bikkies!!!

I was at the Supermarket this morning and found these! ANZAC Biscuits! I couldn't believe my luck!! I love ANZACs and was only asking my friend back home for the recipe so I could make some.

When I bought this pack, I saw that it was produced by the Royal British Legion which I thought was very classy! (So glad that it's not some promo gimmick!)

(If you don't know what ANZAC is / means - ANZAC Day is commemorated by Australia and New Zealand on 25th April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I.)

(On another note, the movie Gallipoli starring Mel Gibson, is very powerful! I think every Australian has seen it!)

One step closer ....

Well I am one step closer to finding out when the Second Season of "Army Wives" will be released on DVD as I found the cover art for the boxset ... just NOOOOO release date. Arggghhhh! The suspense!!!!

Pre-Ordered!!!!!!!

Come to Mamma!!! Two-disc special! Just pre-ordered the DVD from Amazon.co.uk. Will be despatched 6th April! Squeeeeeeeeal!!

Two delights of my weekend

Like any good girl, I have an unhealthy love for shoes and bags! I got a treat this weekend when Mum bought me a new handbag (see below). Scumptious! I love it and have been putting all my goodies in this arvo. Second unexpected delight of my weekend was the movie Penelope. Mum and I had a DVD-watching-fest and one movie stood out for me. Penelope. It was made by the same people who created Pushing Daisies which is one of my favourite shows and this movie was just fantastic. I really loved Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Reese Witherspoon. In fact I liked it so much, I ordered it. (I was watching a rental copy).

A wonderful, fun, romantic adventure! Loved it!

Happy Australia Day / Happy Birthday

Tomorrow (January 26) is Australia Day.

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia and commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 (marking the British colonisation of Aussie). It's a public holiday every year. Since I can't be there, I'm going to eat one of my all time favourite biscuits - Tim Tams - (which is Australian of course) to celebrate!

January 26th is also Marleen's Birthday. Hip Hip Hoorah! Wishing you a fantastic birthday chick!

The David Caruso School of Acting

LMAOOOOOO! I love this!

They are still GOOD guys!

Hurrah! I was watching the Season Finale (Season 4) of Numb3rs when it was revealed that Colby Granger (real name Dylan Bruno) was a S-P-Y!! I was gutted. So you can imagine my utter delight in the first episode of Season 5 to find out he was a GOOD guy after all (pretending to be a Spy!!) YEAHHHHHHHHH!

On another note concerning Colby aka Dylan. This is the first time I have seen someone who reminds me of a character in a book. Although in the book, he's described as having dark hair and blue eyes, whenever I think of OWEN PALMER in the Katie Chandler series (starts with "Enchanted, Inc." by Shanna Swendson), I always think of Dylan Bruno!

And if finding out Colby Granger was a good guy wasn't enough (which it was), I then tune into Day Seven of 24 to find out (A) Tony Almeida (real name Carlos Bernard) is back (not dead) AND (B) he's a GOOD guy! Huuuuuraaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

YIPPEE!! Good guys & good TV!

A New Era ... A Better Era!

Reader's Heaven

2009 is going to be a reader’s paradise (well for me anyway).
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many great books to pre-order!!!

I’ve already pre-ordered:

Kristan Higgins TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
Lisa Unger SLIVER OF TRUTH
Sarah Addison Allen (one of my favourite authors) THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON (God, I love this title!)
PJ Tracy DISCONNECTED

What I’ve left (momentarily) on my Amazon Wish List and want to pre-order include:

Janet Evanovich THE GRAND FINALE
Michelle Paver GHOST HUNTER
Kate Jacobs KNIT TWO
Lisa Unger BLACK OUT

I looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And FOUR of my all time favourite authors are releasing books (PJ Tracy, Sarah Addison Allen, Lisa Unger and Michelle Paver!) WOO HOO!!!!!!!

Stationery Queen

Since I no longer make my own labels, I “created” some lovely labels over at VistaPrint. I think they are really reasonably priced (especially if you choose the slowest shipping ~ which I never do, LOL!) and very good quality!

Here are the five different labels I have created for myself.

My New Toy

My new BlackBerry 8900 Curve. I now know why they call it "CrackBerry" because it is soooooooooooooooo addictive! ;-)

Kung Fu Panda

Dad is away on business so tonight, I'm taking around "Kung Fu Panda" to Mum's house and we're having a lazy DVD night together. I'm really looking forward to it (and watching the movie which I've not seen).

Always

This was on one of my daily pages from The Daily Teachings of The Secret and I thought it was worth remembering:


No matter where you are,
no matter how difficult things might appear to be,
you are always being moved towards magnificence.
ALWAYS.

Credit Crunch

The news isn't good! It just seems more and more businesses are being closed down and people are losing their jobs. My bosses just had a meeting with me and my job is also on the line. I hope this Credit Crunch / Recession passes quickly and with minimum damage to everyone I love.

Goodies from Graceland

At the end of last year (2008), when I got my Christmas bonus, I used it for boring things like paying bills and paying off my overdraft as well as putting a little of it away for when my friend Georgia comes and visits.

However I think it's illegal ;-) not to use a small portion for something fun so I went to ShopElvis and bought myself some Elvis goodies (since I've loved the King since I went to Graceland). I bought myself some Mint Hot Chocolate (which is just divine!), the cutest Mini Elvis Calendar (with the most smouldering pictures ever), an Elvis iPod cover (which came with a free screen protector) and an Elvis Christmas mug! Aren't they AWESOME!

Things I Love

My friend back home gave me a linen teatowel featuring the Gumnut Babies (by May Gibbs) as part of my Christmas present.

They are a really famous Australian childhood icon and story and I was so thrilled with it, I decided to frame and display it. A little piece of home here in my "new" home.

I bought the frame and framed the teatowel last week and I hung it today. Here are two pictures of it in place. As you come up the stairs, it's above your head (where you can't see it) but when you come out of my bedroom, it's directly in view (I took the pictures from my bedroom doorway). I wanted it somewhere I could see it alot as it's just so cute. I love it and it's nice having something so Australian too as I've been homesick.


Since we're talking about things I love, I am totally loving Hugh Jackman (which Mum and I called Huge Ackman because that's what his name sounds like ~ I know ... we're odd).


I'm still loving James Dean (have done since I was about 12!)



and I LOVE Elvis Presley, the King! This started when I went to Graceland last year and hasn't stopped (if anything my love is only growing). (I am drinking Elvis Mint Hot Chocolate out of an Elvis mug as I type!)

Nick Vujicic - Finish Strong!

An amazing person!

The Optimist Creed

PROMISE YOURSELF:
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come rue.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful counternance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words but in greast deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

by Christian D Larson (1912)

Happy Birthday Elvis!

It's Elvis's birthday today ... surely that means cake! Can you believe he would have been 74 today?!

The Spiderwick Chronicles

I just watched this on DVD and really enjoyed it. A great story about faeries and imagination and believing. A great children's movie (and for those young at heart too!)

Uh-oh!

I felt it coming in during the day and now I feel full of cold (ahhhhh-choo!) Going to have a hot bath when I get home (with some Olbas bath vapour) and get into my PJs and hopefully kick it before it gets any worse.

Happy New Year from Calvin!

This is just priceless! I absolutely LOVE Calvin & Hobbes!

( Click on image for it to appear larger).

With surprise, I realised ...

I'm a huge fan of Brendan Fraser! It has come as a complete shock. It started because I was given (among others) "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" for Christmas. I watched it and loved it and decided to watch the whole trilogy again (it's like with the National Treasure movies - I could watch them again and again!) so I had a 3-movie-marathon!

Then last night after watching "The Dark Knight", I decided to watch something "lighter" before I went to bed so I watched "Journey to the Center of the Earth" with guess who!, Brendan Fraser!

Thinking back, I always enjoy a movie he's in and often will go and see a movie he's in because I know it'll be entertaining and enjoyable - so there you go. I'm a Brendan Fraser fan!

The Dark Knight

Crikey! What a movie. I got it on DVD and it's dark. Actually D-A-R-K. There has been a lot of talk about Heath's performance and Oscar possibilities and I must admit, (despite being a fan) I thought it was out of sympathy - but Heath's performance gave me chills. I think he will get an Oscar (posthumously) and it will be well-deserved. Very well deserved.

I am going to have to watch something "light" before bed ... I don't want to go to sleep with The Joker in my head!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Rock on 2009! I am really excited and enthused about the new year. It helps that I had a really lovely break over Christmas (finished at lunch on Christmas Eve and returned to work on 5th January). When I read my "stars" in the Sunday newspapers for 2009, I got a pleasant surprise. 2009 will be my year ;-) It said I will get a new job, meet someone while on holidays and get married quickly and by the end of the year. Oh WOW! It also said that I have been constantly battling the last few years but I get a break from this in 2009.


I don't actually literally believe in my "stars" but it is nice to read something positive at the beginning of the year ~ gets your mindset right!


By the way the new blog layout is thanks to Gena by the way. I love her work. Don't forget to check out her designs at http://knottymoosedesigns.blogspot.com/


Santa was VERY good to me this year! I GOT A NEW TV!! A flat screen, High-Definition, LCD Samsung TV (see picture below).



I bought my original TV from a supermarket and the picture was fading. Despite this I offered it to my Aunt (as a second TV) and she happily accepted. However when I took it over and plugged it in, it blew up! LOL! I guess it really WAS on its' last legs and I was even MORE thrilled to have gotten a brand spanking new TV from Santa.


Santa also bought me some UGG boots (genuine Australian Uggs). Not only am I Australian but I live in FUGGS (faux Uggs) so I was surprised (to tears!) to open a parcel and find brand new genuine Uggs waiting for me. I wear them ALL the time! (I am even tempted to sleep in them).
As well as Uggs and TV, I got some perfume (Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel), new iPod speakers (with a LCD screen built in so I can watch all the videos on my iPod), slippers, PJs, CDs (Amy Grant Christmas & Billy Currington's new one), DVDs (new X Files movie, Lost in Austen, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and Grand Ole Opry at Carnegie Hall), a gift voucher for Marks & Spencers (I bought two pairs of shoes for work), books ("Pottery Barn Storage & Display", "The Pirate's Daughter", "Marley & Me", "Plantations of the Low Country" plus more), jewellery and so much more. I can't recall them all right now. I was overwhelmed and humbled and I loved absolutely everything.


I also loved seeing the faces on my family as they opened the presents I got them. I bought heaps and loved spoiling them! Mum went especially mental over her beautifully carved angel wings (below) and her metal detector and Dad loved all his Top Gear goodies and electronic gadgets I bought him.


So since I had a new TV and some new DVDs to enjoy, I spent my Christmas break watching A LOT of TV. (I do mean a lot - I even got a migraine the first day!)

The movies / shows I loved the most were "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor".

I love the whole Mummy series and this didn't disappoint. I also ordered "Iron Man" off Sky (through my TV) on New Year's Eve and really enjoyed it.

So much so that at Mum and Dad's the next day, we rented it and watched it again.

I am also totalling loving "The 4400" and am almost finished Season Two. I have Seasons Three and Four to go!

I have organised to upgrade my Sky package to the HD (High-Definition) package so I make the most of my new TV. They are coming on Saturday 24th January and I can't wait! I've paid for everything now (the new Sky box and installation) so it shouldn't cost me anything extra on the day!

That's all I have to report for now. Haven't had much time for reading with all the TV watching but I am about halfway through "The Witching Hour" by Anne Rice.

Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!