Lines

Like all two year olds, Miss Pie is more than just a little in love with trains right now.

Most mornings begin with her watching an episode of Thomas and Friends. That in itself always seems like a bizarro start to the day because when the Faery was that age and equally enamoured, she also had to watch Thomas... but in Australia, the original (British) version is aired - narrated in beautiful Liverpudlian tones.

I have sweet memories of my youngest brother watching the show, riveted, way back in the 80s - when the stories were narrated by none other then Ringo Starr himself. I think it's why I've always had a soft spot for anyone with a Scouse accent. Here, the show has been dubbed into American accents, and the Fat Controller has been renamed Sir Topham (PC madness, if you ask me). It's... different.

Anyhow, I digress. Yesterday we took the girls to Travel Town - a place we discovered a few months back when we attended a birthday party there. Perched on the edge of Griffith Park, surrounded by hiking and horse trails (oh, and a freeway), it's an outdoor museum, showcasing old steam locomotives. Many of these can be climbed on to investigate. There's a miniature steam train ride, and a plethora of picnic tables with BBQ grills.

For a cheap outing with train-obsessed little ones, you can't go wrong - there's nothing like hearing a little voice repeatedly exclaiming "Wow!". We'll be back.

May Day

Yesterday was a special day - J's and mine anniversary. We've been together a long time, and I feel incredibly lucky that we still love being around each other, and share the same goals.

Since moving to LA, our last two anniversaries have been spent at home. The first year, we were brand new in town and yet to find a babysitter. Last year, our babysitter had to cancel at the last minute. This year? I made sure, confirming many times with our current babysitter. I wasn't taking any chances.

Dinner out, just the two of us, is a rarity. We don't really buy gifts - it's not our style - and I was excited just to be eating in a restaurant, sans small children.

After the babysitter arrived, we kissed the girls goodbye and headed down to the car park. I noticed J had reversed the car into our spot, which neither of usually bother to do. He commented that he'd washed the car in his lunch break, and I felt silly for not noticing the absence of dirt.

Once we were in the car, J told me he'd even cleaned the glovebox, and to have a look inside. I thought it was odd that he wanted to me look, but when I opened it, there was a little blue box inside:

Surprise! I just got luckier. 

I'd been admiring these key necklaces since the first time we set foot inside a Tiffany store (purely for a fun browse, as you do) but I was not expecting a gift at all... let alone this.

He's a keeper - but I already knew that.

Our evening was spent in Old Pasadena. Even though our favourite coffee is there, we hadn't been in for at least six months. Silly us, as it's a great area to wander around. Naturally, coffee was our first stop, followed by dinner at an Indian restaurant that had been recommended to us. Again, silly us - we hadn't eaten at a proper curry house since we were in Australia... and we both love curry.

With full bellies, we strolled a few blocks and peered in windows of now-shut bars and shops (the trouble with going out on a Tuesday night). Champagne bars with chandeliers, gothic taxidermists with peacocks, posh diners with red velvet curtains - Pasadena has something for everyone.

With happy hearts, we headed home.

Open

I'm not sure whether it's because enough readers were generous with their time and clicked away madly on the link in my earlier post, or if the Instacanv.as site was simply going to give me some gallery space in due time... but either way, thank you!

My gallery 'opened' last week. If you're curious, click here to browse.

It almost seems too easy. Really, it amounts to me sitting passively on my butt and letting a third party take care of the business of hosting my chosen images and - if I'm lucky and someone wants to put one of my photos on their wall - organising the canvas printing, shipping and payments.

The photos I've chosen would have otherwise just been sitting on my phone and Instagram account. What else was I going to do with them? Why not take advantage, and do a little role play of being an artist? Have some fun?

So there you have it. Who knows whether anyone will buy one of my images, but I can go to sleep at night, telling myself that my art is on display. What's not to love about that?

The teenaged dreamer in me could not be happier.

Just for a day

If I've learned anything over the last three months, it's that I'd been deluding myself for years about how often I can eat exactly what takes my fancy. Sure, when I was breastfeeding I could get away with consuming vast amounts of carbs and sugar... but my eating habits had already been that way for many years. I do love a good pastry, but it's taken me twenty years to accept I don't have the same metabolism I did when I was sixteen. Well, I've actually known that for a long time, but it didn't change the way I ate.

Last time I checked, I was nearly 10 kg down from what I weighed in January, so I'm in a happy place. I don't deny myself the yummy things - but instead of eating them whenever the mood strikes, I've imposed control over exactly how much and when.

Since educating myself about just how many calories are in some of my favourite foods, I won't ever view them in the same light. It feels a little like a loss of innocence, but I'm okay with that. I'd rather be healthier... and I'm also a firm believer that anything in moderation is fine. I'm just more selective now.

Even though I recently gave myself a break (for my birthday) from the calorie-counting and exercise - and enjoyed that day immensely - I wouldn't mind another day like that. Hypothetically, if I could eat whatever I wanted for a day, without gaining an ounce, here's what I'd eat:

(oink oink)

Breakfast would include a generous helping of Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Flakes - it's probably been years since I ate those on a regular basis. Followed by... pancakes? Waffles? Nope. I would have French toast, topped with bacon (or banana) and maple syrup. Chased back with a creamy cafe latte, Aussie-style.

Lunch would be a no-brainer. In-N-Out, all the way, baby. A cheeseburger, 'Animal Style' fries, and a chocolate shake. How on earth did I live thirty-something years without In-N-Out?

Dinner... there's too much to choose. Chipotle? They do a damn good burrito. Then again, I love pizza, gourmet-style. And don't get me started on pasta. Ultimately, if a meal has salmon, prawns, or goats cheese? I'm in.

Cheese. I love cheese. Any cheese (unless it's brightly orange-coloured - I don't understand why American cheddar has to be dyed such an artificial shade - wrongtown). On this hypothetical day, much cheese would be consumed. Grilled cheese on toast, cheese and crackers - heaven.

Throughout this day, I would also be doing my best Nancy Botwin impersonation, straw-sipping on giant cups of lemonade from Wetzel's Pretzels. It is the best - and probably unhealthiest - lemonade I've ever tasted.

Once the evening arrived, I'd be cracking open a bottle (or two) or Oyster Bay's Sauvignon Blanc - to accompany my cheese and crackers, naturally. I'd also hit my recently-acquired stash of Aussie chocolate goodness that was sent to me for my birthday.

At some point during this day, I'd have called in at Porto's, a local Cuban bakery, and bought some
refugiados - otherwise known as guava cream cheese strudels. Just the thought makes my mouth water. Oh, and potato balls - kind of like small, spicy balls of shephard's pie, crumbed and deep-fried. So fattening, they're good... trust me.

I'm not fussy when it comes to carbs and pastries, though. I'd be equally happy to have eclairs, hot cross buns or Portuguese tarts. All are guaranteed to make me happy.

Last treat before bed would be ice cream. I'm not actually a big ice cream person, but there are a few types that I can't say no to. Ben & Jerry's is one brand. Or a Magnum Ego. Or - my most recent discovery - Trader Joe's Sublime Ice Cream Sandwich.

(Photo source)

Then? After so much cheese and chocolate consumption? Based on previous experience, let the crazy lady dreams begin...

Linking up with Mama Kat's writing prompt:

If you had one day to eat anything you want and not gain a single ounce what would it be? 

Click here for link

Weekend wishing

Too often, I find my weekends passing by in a blur - not because we've been incredibly busy, but because we've been relaxing - only to realise on Sunday afternoon that we should have actually done something more worthwhile with our time. There is so much to see and do in California, that even if we were to just focus on places within a few hours' drive of home, we'd be busy for a long time to come.

My obsession with Pinterest peaked some time ago, but one board that's had me pinning regularly is the one I have to remind me of places we want to see within California (and L.A.). Yesterday I printed the compilation out, stuck it in a cheap IKEA frame that's been sitting around, and hung it near the kitchen so that next time we find ourselves twiddling our thumbs, or with a little money aside for a night's accommodation, the inspiration will be be right under our noses.

Whether it's somewhere nearby - just for an afternoon - or a little further out for a couple of days, here's a sample of what's on my list:

Big Sur

Source: une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com via Kristen Pinkham on Pinterest

Hearst Castle

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Jill Braun on Pinterest

Santa Barbara

Source: art.co.uk via k krantz on Pinterest 

Palm Springs

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com via Christina Hjorth on Pinterest

Joshua Tree National Park

Source: LA Times

Echo Park, LA

Source: marcloresto.tumblr.com via Marc Loresto on Pinterest

Getty Villa, Malibu

Source: LA Times 

One of the many Redwood forests

Source: allposters.com via Maddie Burke on Pinterest

Yosemite National Park

Source: wallpaperweb.org via Sharon Yates Mayhack on Pinterest

This is only a fraction of what's on the list - it should keep us busy, right? Not to mention all the fabulous photo opportunities. Stay tuned...

Shameless

Like millions of people, as a child I dreamed of being an artist one day. I'd always loved drawing and painting, and even from a young age I was aware of the soothing effects they had on me. I didn't care about being famous; I just wanted to be able to sell some of my art. As a teenager, photography also got its claws into me and I began fantasising about selling my photos one day.

Like millions of people, I didn't exactly follow these dreams. I've always enjoyed doing creative things, but my artistic skills have stayed in the amateur ranks. I have fun with it, and now and then I produce a little something with a 'WOW' factor to it.

If you've been reading my recent posts, you'll know that I've developed somewhat of an addiction to Instagram on my iPhone. This week, Instacanv.as has come to my attention - it's a site which allots space to people to sell some of their Instagram photos on canvases. It's a brilliant idea, but there's a catch: a 'gallery' (a personalised URL) will only open if enough other people visit the URL and request a gallery.

I want in.

Purely for fun. You never know, somewhere amongst the millions of people in this world, someone might see one of my photos and want to hang it on their wall. That would be dream-fulfilling stuff for me.

So, this is where I need you to help. I'll pop a link under the image below, and all you need to do is click. Once the page comes up, simply click on the yellow button to 'Request Gallery Opening'. Easy!

Instacanv.as/madinla

I have no idea what kind of numbers are involved, or how popular one has to be in this cyber world... but it's worth a try, right?

Time to pimp myself out and make this happen. Excuse me while I head over to Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest. If you're feeling generous, multiple clicks would make me love you even more. 

Thank you!

Enter the fourth dragon cycle

Since joining a gym at the end of January, I've been pretty strict without myself. Going three times a week, keeping a food diary and - for the first time in my life - counting calories. I have a severely sweet tooth and am unwilling to completely cut out the sweet treats... but I'm definitely eating a lot less of them. I'm incredibly stubborn and I'm discovering this is working to my advantage.

It's working, and so far I've lost 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs). Come summer, and I may even consider wearing dresses that reveal more than just my ankles. I've always been more of a jeans girl, but I feel like it's time to mix things up a little.

On Sunday, I gave myself a break for the day. Instead of a light breakfast, I feasted with my family at a local spot that we've been meaning to try for ages. My usual Sunday gym visit was replaced with a leisurely stroll around Descanso Gardens - sunshine and tulips galore. I have a thing for tulips. This was followed by a session of child-free, selfish clothes shopping for me - to replace some of my threads that are getting a little baggy. And for the entire day? I ate and drank whatever the hell I wanted. Bliss.

Why the day of indulgence? It was my birthday and you only turn thirty-six once, right? I know I've said it before, but this Year of the Dragon - my year - is full of promise. So far, so good...