Wednesday 30 January 2013

White Gold with Rose Gold ... yes or no

I need some help from you stylish sistas out there!

I am deciding which Michael Kors watch to get for my thirtieth (yes, going to be 30 in a couple of weeks!) and although I love and have wanted a rose gold one for ages, I'm just not sure if it's going to clash with my wedding and engagement rings which are white gold.

photo - Darren Nolan (ckmetrophotography)

The three I have narrowed my search down to are:


Which would you choose and if you have one, are the oversized ones, TOO oversized?

(Check my instagram feed to the right for a pic of my engagement ring and wedding ring together. Who wants to be my lucky 200th follower?! My username is peta_ballerina)

Friday 25 January 2013

Status: BUN in the OVEN

If you missed my instagram post last night you also would have missed that the husband and I have a 


We succeeded after about six months of trying and couldn't quite believe the (initial) three pregnancy tests that came back positive ... followed by the extra two digital tests that followed over the following week. I guess I had to accept the truth after five tests right? Has anyone else every gone to that extreme?

The last couple of weeks have been a bit nerve-racking to say the least. My twin sister's little girl was diagnosed as a cystic fibrosis carrier not long after she was born so naturally I wanted to have the blood test done to see if I was a carrier. Ridiculously, the blood test costs over $300 and not one cent is claimable. My results came back positive and so we booked the husband in for the same blood test. If both parents are cystic fibrosis carriers, the baby has a one in four chance of actually having CF ... a pretty scary and confronting percentage. There is such little awareness of how common the carrier gene is as well as the rate of children born with CF. I believe it is something like 1 in caucasians are carriers and 1 in every 3000 children are born with the disorder. Some quick googling revealed Cystic Fibrosis is the most common, lethal disease among Caucasian people. Did you know that? I certainly didn't.

Anyway, yesterday afternoon I rang our Toowoomba doctor to find out if the results were back yet. The lovely lady on the phone announced that the husband's test was negative - what a bloody relief! My new GP on the coast rang about 15 minutes later to reveal the results of our 12 week scan - all very low risk ... again, another relief! It was time to announce, finally!!!!!!!!! I had found out at 2 weeks so keeping the news to ourselves was very difficult - in fact, too difficult to keep it from everyone given the boozer I am. People really start to become suspicious at Christmas parties when the previous life of the party claims she is hungover from the night before and is 'not drinking tonight'. 

I don't think our sonographer was a very good photographer. I think this is the best one.



I've been completely healthy and the only real symptom I have experienced is tiredness. I'm one of the lucky ones that's for sure.

Look forward to sharing the next six months ... and beyond with you all!

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Why?

Moving is hard ... not only on your wallet but also on your mental health, relationships and confidence.

The husband and I yesterday afternoon pondered why we moved and in that moment, I don't think we were able to answer the question. 

The feeling of 'starting from scratch' has really hit home a week and a half after starting our new jobs. We have no close friends nearby and that feeling of isolation has arrived that inevitably comes with moving somewhere a few hours away from your comfort zone - the place where all your friends and familiarities
are. There is also the feeling that even though friends say they will keep in touch and visit, that they will not. 

I've also experienced the unfortunate situation (more than once) where people in your department have no idea who you are, including the big boss, who admitted she mistook you for a student and was confused as to why a student was walking the hallways in a 'staff only' area of the building. Another lovely scenario was when I went to have a meeting with a department head. I showed up and said rather shyly 
'i think i'm supposed to be having a meeting with you' 
only to be greeted with the response 
'who are you and who do you think i am?' 

Anyway, enough sooking from me. We have lived on the coast now for a touch over a month and I know these feelings will take time to subside, relationships and friendships will take time to build and becoming more comfortable and confident as a sunshine coaster will gradually increase. It's just the in between that we have to get used to. At least we've got each other.

What have your strategies been to make friends when you have moved? 



Here's some random selfies that didn't make it to Instagram - date night last week wearing vintage and my outfit today wearing dotti, diva and my most favourite Xmas pressie - my Karen Walker super duper's from my twinnie!





Wednesday 16 January 2013

Custom Illustration - Pretty Darn Spectactular

Today I'd like to feature an uber talented young lady who I have featured before but who deserves yet another mention - Lauren from tasteslikelove. Lauren completed a picture of my twin sis and her partner in preparation for the birth of their baby girl. Pop over here to check out that post and picture. 

She surprised me with an awesome custom illustration of the husband and I. If you are looking for a unique gift or perhaps artwork for your house, don't hesitate to contact Lauren. She really goes out of her way to make sure you are satisfied. I love the detail she adds in to her illustrations and the effort she puts in to get the correct shades for hair, eye and skin colour. I think I look pretty spunky - wish my teeth were that white and my skin was that clear!


The image she used ...


What are you waiting for huh? Go visit her STAT!

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Sea Change > Completed!

Hey all! My one month absence has been busy with moving and starting a new job so forgive me ... although I doubt anyone missed me! Popping in today to say hey from Buderim on Queensland's Sunshine Coast - my new home.

Nothing too much to share yet for 2013 but I think it's going to be an exciting year.

gap pants | river island belt via asos | lorna jane singlet | kmart sandals | dior glasses via clearlycontacts.com.au

Hope everyone had a great christmas break and have all sorts of things planned for the coming year. I look forward to sharing my journey and experiencing yours.