BIO Update

Hey there lovelies.

I was in Sydney this past weekend so didn't participate in Beautiful Inside & Out - Self Confidence Sunday.

This is an update photo, wearing my usual (now ex) mid waisted suit pants.

I am down now to 82kgs.
And am officially the smallest I have been in my adult life. But my BMI is still way too high. 14kgs to go before I'm considered "healthy".

Still a long road to go.
But I just wanted to keep you updated, to keep you motivated.
Counting calories and exercise really does work.

Promise.

Add me on My Fitness Pal - misslexii

Mr & Mrs Kardashian?

Is there anyone else in the blogsphere as excited about the Kardashian/Humphries wedding as I am?

Image from Google

I didn't have Royal Wedding Fever until it started. but these nuptials have had me enticed from the beginning and there is only a few days to go!

Not knowing much about Kris Humphries - aside from how awkward it is to be marrying a guy with the same name & spelling as your mother - I do know that he has EXCELLENT taste in bling

Image from Google

20.5 Carat engagement ring designed by Lorraine Schwartz, [the centre stone alone is 16.5 carats!] - Wonder if he will pull out all the tricks for the wedding band? Because this will be a hard one to beat.

And the dress.

Rumour has it Kimmy K has gone with none other than Vera Wang for her wedding dress [and really, what girl DOESN'T want a Vera Wang gown on their big day?]

Whatever the dress, Whatever the ring, Whatever the crazy antics at the hens night, I wish them all the best and hope they have a long and happy life together.

#beautifulinsideandout

Remember last week when I posted 3 challenges for #beautifulinsideandout ?

Well, it has been a week and it's time to share how it went.

1. Stop swearing 

2. Swap coffee for tea.

3. Get active. I'm not going to promise to hit the gym 5 times, my schedule doesn't allow for that but just get out there. I WILL climb the mountain at least once and I WILL hit the park for some scooter riding with Master3 and I WILL look into karate lessons

I am happy to report that I completed ALL THREE of my challenges this week.

Not bad for a first go, but I am notorious for setting unrealistic goals.

Just ask my Wii fit, which pretty much refuses my goal setting attempts

[10kgs in 2 weeks? girl, you so cray cray]

FINALLY! I was beginning to think this was a waste of money.

Weight wise I am down all of .8kgs but I am not focusing on weight this time, I am focusing on being healthy and trying to be happy - focusing on weight just seems to bring me down when it doesn't work.

I am keeping my philosophy simple again this week - as I said on Twitter - Keep It Simple Sexy.

Sure, in the long run I want a body to marvel Victoria Beckham, but I'm not ready to give up the amazing feeling I am rocking by setting myself up for failure.

This week:

1. I WILL eat Breakfast. Daily.

I know, obvious right? But a cup of coffee does not a healthy body make.

I will make an effort here, I don't have the time to cook a delicious breakfast daily, but an apple on the commute to work is better than nothing. [ I drive far enough to eat 20 apples so it fits perfectly for the time poor like me ]

2. I WILL get back into use My Fitness Pal

This is one of the best iPhone apps ever.

You enter in your weight, exercise and food intake and it helps monitor your calories for you.

I'm not calorie counting, but I make much better food choices when I track what I eat.

3. Keep all of last weeks goals running.

So, no swearing. One coffee a day. Mountain walking & scooter riding [Alas, no karate since I am over 12 and that's all thats offered here]

I would also like to take this opportunity to again thank Michelle and Kirsten for coming up with this idea and sharing it with us. Just a week of #beautifulinsideandout and I already feel so much different. So much better.

I had an absolutely amazing weekend,  I spent time with some of my most favourite people [I'm looking at you Mumma In Heels ] and for TWO WHOLE DAYS I was having one those rare i-dont-hate-myself and I-Dont-Feel-Fat moments and I felt so happy and free. Thank you girls! 

Tagged; Top 5 of 5

This mornings twitter conversation regarding favorite books, reminded me of an email I have had sitting in my inbox for weeks.

This is my Top 5 of 5.

As usual, if you are reading this, you are officially TAGGED! Add your URL in the comments section so we can check it out.

BEVERAGES

1. Soy Lattes

2. Coconut Hot Chocolates

3. Diet Coke

4. Peppermint Tea

5. Green Tea

With this five comes the confession that I am a teetotaler. I don't drink. Shock you? Seems to shock everyone when they find this out...

SNACKS

1. Dumplings

2. Strawberries

3. Sushi

4. Spinach Dip w/ Carrot/Celery Sticks

5. Cucumber

Again, another confession time. I eat ALOT of raw veggies and a lot of fruit, I just don't usually share these images on instagram, I just share the fun stuff

iPhone / iPad Apps

1. Twitter

2. Instagram

3. MobileRSS

4. Blogpress

5. Kindle

I hate Kindle, I really do. I much prefer to read ACTUAL books - but I live in a rural* area that can't keep a book store open and I am far too impatient to wait for online deliveries most of the time.

 

MOVIES

1. Breakfast At Tiffany's

2. Beauty & The Beast

3. Sixteen Candles

4. Sex & The City

5. X Files; Fight The Future

I have to LOVE a movie for years before I consider it a "favourite" - sure, I love Bridesmaids & Bad Teacher right now, but I also loved 10 Things I Hate About You for years and now I can't stand it

BOOKS

1. Breakfast At Tiffany's

2. Catcher In The Rye

3. To Kill A Mockingbird

4. Air Kisses

5. Devil Wears Prada

I always read the book before the seeing the movie and there are only TWO that I have ever liked the movie better - Sex & The City & Eat, Pray, Love

So lovelies, what are your top five?

*Rural meaning a popular tourist destination, an exporter of high quality wine, a highly populated and sought after university campus and the second largest city in NSW yet no support from local government means business' finds it hard to survive

Life through an iPhone; July

I bought a scooter! It has pink wheels

Master 3 is currently obsessed so thought it would be a cool thing we could do together.

Especially since his Karate classes are for "Children Only"

My sisters and I have been having WAAAY too much fun with the OldBooth app for iPhone.

Take a photo of your face and upload it on countless number of heads.

We love the 80's edition, which only features in the paid version, but the free version is pretty good.

It's Winter in Australia AND it's cold.

But despite the cold, and the wind, the beach is still really pretty.

Espcially on dusk.

Ugg Boots and Poodle Time

Watching LOTS and LOTS of X-Files and getting all excited whenever Mulder and Scully do something all cute and couple-y.

I am sad that I am up to season 7 and they actually get together at the end of the season, the suspense is the best part.

Twitter decided to get a little evil.

Whoops.

It's times like these I am glad I am not religious

Quick & Easy Pasta Bake

After living off of tea, toast and takeout for the past few days I decided to get into the kitchen and prepare a nice pasta dinner for my nonna and I.
Now, I know what you are thinking, Pasta + Nonna = Recipe for disaster.
But, mine is pretty forgiving and I do get props for trying
[I lose points by using bought pasta...and canned tomatoes...and frozen spinach - but hey, it's a quick N easy meal!]

How to; e-Tax

I HATE Tax Time.

I love Tax RETURN Time, it's just the getting it that's the hassle.

No matter how prepared I think I am, I am always left scratching my head, swearing a lot and looking for that tiny piece of paper I wrote the password on...

Get your Group Certificate(s) - Can't submit your tax without these.

Our corporate accountant is super awesome and I had mine in my hot little hands at 12pm on July 1st.

Otherwise, they have to be in the post to you by the 14th of July to avoid a fine.

You will probably need to borrow someones computer [And Internet]. If you didn't see me get all rant-y on Twitter then be aware that ATO haven't gotten with the times and e-Tax is only available for Windows. BOO! 

Before you even begin, find your Notice of Assessment. This little thing is the bane of my existence EVERY year. I can never find it. But you will need it to confirm your identity to have some of the sections auto-complete. Once you enter this info, you will be given a password WRITE THIS DOWN! or else you can't lodge your return :(

Then, collect up all those other bits you will need Medicare Card, Bank Statement, Statement of Interest accrual , Health Insurance Statement and your HECS/HELP Statement etc. If you don't have hardcopies, you can pretty much find all you need to by logging into the separate accounts online, I had to get my Health Insurance info because my Health Insurer is slack and failed to send out the statements yet [Yep NIB, I am glaring at you]

Remember when you donated to your co-workers-landlords-sisters' fun run thing? Kept the receipt? That's a tax deduction baby! and pretty much the only receipts I remember to keep.

Find a nice, quiet, undisturbed place with some refreshments [I go with tea, vodka is tempting but you don't want to mess this up] and some tunes. I am old school, back in the HSC days I studied listening to Enya, keeps me calm, tax returns are the same. Stops me blasting the ATO and NIB on twitter... oh wait...

And begin...

I'm not an accountant so I REALLY can't tell you how to complete your return, plus every situation is different, I am single, no dependants*, single income etc.

If I wasn't so impatient I would take mine to an accountant, I am too scared to claim deductions on anything - even though I can - I just want my moolah straight away.

If you do choose to complete it yourself, it's not that hard, a few questions are in gibberish, but they will quickly point you in the right direction.

But I can tell you that when it's all over and done, it's quickly forgotten when you realise that in 14-21 days you can go shoe shopping...

*Oliver is totally a dependant, unfortunately the ATO don't consider him a deduction, blah!

All images are from Google

For information, head over to www.ato.gov.au

Sorry -

Just a quick post to apologise for the mayhem around here the last few days.

My current web host is is very unreliable and has terrible customer support.
[Note; Avoid domain.com]

So I am currently in the process of changing hosts to one that I hope will serve us all better.

In typical Domain.com style they are making this transfer incredibly difficult to do, so I have moved home to Blogspot until it is sorted.

Never fear, posts will be coming through again ASAP with a couple of hauls, some swatches and a review of an incredibly yummy face product...

Miss Mazda

After all the drama, I finally got my new baby:

My new Mazda2

She's so cute.

I'm one of those people who like to name their cars, my first one was "Princess Sophia" and my last one was "Azby".

This one is "Mimi"

Because she is like a MIni version of my my friends Subaru Impreza named Imogen

Mini + Immi = Mimi

So dolls, do you name your cars?

Dungog Film Festival

Here are just a couple of snaps from the Dungog Film Festival on Saturday

I didn't go into any of the shows - but am definitely marking it next years calendar as a "must go" event. The atmosphere was fantastic and the small town was buzzing with positivity.

Can't wait til next year! Who is coming with to see some Australian cinema?

Darby Street Coffee Festival Haul

So,

I am on a Spending Ban right?

Well, today I broke it - BIG TIME.

Started off the morning at the Darby Street Coffee & Chocolate Festival [A must go event for all Novacastrians] had a nice coffee from one of the numerous coffee carts, then the splurge began.

First was this gorgeous retro style umbrella

I have been looking for one for AGES and since my SJP umbrella was snapped in my car accident I needed a new one.

Then, a few things for Miss3

A cute hand knitted beanie & a gorgeous pink crochet hair clip
Beanie and Hairclip can be seen here [Princess Scallywag]

This cute little draw string bag for her Ballet clothes/shoes

Gorgeous Pink Pyjamas - with a Ballerina
Ballet Bag & Pyjamas can be found here [Three Little Threads]

Then, I bought just a couple of necessities 

New T-Shirt [Miss Shop]

Because it was way to freakin' adorable AND on sale!

I buy dresses and wear them as long tops [Kmart]

I desperately needed a macbook bag - my old laptop bag is too big
It's way too cute - plus it has leopard print lining [Forever New]

I have wanted a dark brown handbag for AGES [Dotti]

A new scarf - I had one almost identical which I have misplaced [Dotti]

A new makeup bag; and some polishes [Sportsgirl & Revlon]

And now I am home, tired, broke but incredibly happy :)

What did you all get up to this weekend?

Darby Street - Coffee & Chocolate Festival

Today I am off to the Darby Street Coffee and Chocolate Festival.

To me, it is the most important, and fun, festival of the year.

What is better than spending a Sunday strolling through the middle of your city, sampling local foods, drinking coffee and buying cute kitschy things in market stalls?

Plus, you can bring your dog.

Here is my boy after last years Festival, proudly displaying his new bow.

Isn't he cute?

What's In My Bag

Alot of my fellow tweethearts/bloggers have been unveiling what it is they keep in their handbags.

Lucky for me, I switched out handbags last night so I can save you from the thousand and one bobby pins that usually take up residence in my handbag.

And just be warned - like most of my life its an Animal Print/New York overload!

First up, My handbag - It is a 2009 Guess leather bag, I bought it on holiday and whilst I have bought plenty of other bags since, I keep coming back to it.

Whilst I am not usually a fan of Gaudy Guess, there was something about this one.

It has all I require in a bag:

It's large

It's black

It is sturdy enough to carry around all my crap things

It was actually marketed as an overnight bag. Not even!

Please it has endured 2 years of being slugged around and hasn't got any signs of wear.

Starting top left hand corner:

Wayfarer style sunnies - El Cheapo from Cotton On since I broke my latest D&Gs

MacBook w/ New York stickers

iPhone w/ Leopard Print cover

Summer In The City - Candice Bushnell [I almost AWAYS carry a book; even before Rory made it cool]

My "Snow Leopard" Tipsy Toes

Avado Nipple Care Cream [for my lips people!]

My 2011 Diary [New York, of course]

My keys for the office

iPhone Charger

Office ID/Security Pass

Eclipse Mints

Hand Sanitiser [I ran out of Aqium and this was all I could get]

Anna Sui Purse

Makeup Bag [Freebie from Chicks at The Flicks Event]

Leopard Print Scarf [Usually tied to bag handle]

FOA Lip Quench in Power Surge

FOA Lip Liner in Red

Lip Brush

FOA Liquid Eyeliner

Kink Gloss in Ruby Red

Eyeshadow Brush

Kink Eyeshadow in Champagne

Kim Kardashian Roll on perfume

Lancome L'Extreme Mascara in Black

Maybelline "Baby Lips" in Smoothing Cherry

Generic Nile File 

So there you go voyeurs lovelies, its not very interesting, but it's my handbag.

Check out Michelle's handbag here

Have you completed a "What's in my bag post"? Add the link to the comments section so I can have a peek

xoxo