7by7: April 30th 2010

ta-da! we made if to friday! how is everyone? did you all keep your arms inside of the vehicle at all times, and remember that objects in the overhead cabins may have shifted during the flight? good. well, this has been the most fun and happy whirlwind of a week in some time so let's review:

lets start with something pretty, some pom pom flowers! i walked past these chrysanthemum and couldn't resist them. i love how fresh the white and green centre is. they're sitting here next to me as i type and i want to scruff their raggedy heads.

i made another banana cake, because we always seem to have bananas around and i can't stand to waste them (and yet also forget to eat them). i think i'm obsessed with not wasting them after i remembered a romanian girl at school telling me that one year, before they emigrated to australia, she wished for and got a single banana for christmas. as long as there are children wishing for bananas for christmas: i will be making banana cake from soggy bananas rather than throw them away. now if only i could apply this thriftiness to everything..

the other baking jaunt last weekend was making a batch of ANZAC cookies. they're made from the same simple recipe the wives and mothers of world war 1 soldier's used. al the ingredients are things that would have been staple items in any early 20th century australian kitchen, and they're basically oat muesli cookies. i add sultanas because i'm a rebel who bakes banana loaves in bundt tins. damn the cookbook man!

and the best time of the day to enjoy a cookie (aside from post-breakfast, pre-lunch or post-dinner) would be afternoon tea, that most civilized of hours. i'm really enjoying the cool days and stopping for a moment in the afternoons to have a cup of tea from my favourite mug. it sounds so cliche but small things like this really elevate my mood and make me appreciate things.

get a load of this castle my son and i built! its kind of the template for our next house, but i'm thinking it might need a roof. i'm all for high ceilings, but i really think he's pushing the boundaries of what's functional. i told him to get back to the drawing board and not over conceptualize. he's a good kid, but you know what they're like, always form over function! and the minimalist furniture was a little too "blocky" for my taste. thats what you get for explaining who mies van der rohe is!

doodle-doooo! this is what it looks like when i pick up a pencil. yes, it happens occasionally. mostly during power outages and phone calls.

ooh c'est moi! i had to send a picture of 'me at work' to my son's kindergarten so they can all talk about what everyone's parents do all day. i was tempted to stage a sort of photo play about me lying around smoking opium and gambling but i couldn't find my special opium smoking kimono. so here i am at my desk. generally i face the computer and do work, but that wouldn't have made such a great photo because i tend to make embarrassing thinking faces. you may notice my hair is a different color now, i had it done last week after getting sick of not being able to wear pink or red without clashing with my hair. its a nice change and i tend to mix it up quarterly, so if you liked the red or hate the blondey bits, don't worry.. it will change soon haha

as a side note, isn't it interesting seeing a 27 year old designer now (me, above) and in 1978 (my mum at 27, working).

have a lovely weekend, wherever you are, and come back monday to see what vintage treasures i have to brighten your working week!