Off to Mexico tomorrow...

I'm off tomorrow! To Mexico! Sunshine! Taco's! Mojitos!

Mum has warned me that everything will get stolen, but who cares?! It's Mexico! (note: I have great travel insurance so no one needs to worry). So this is the end of winter and a little taste of summer before we head home and set up 'real' life and get 'real' jobs (note: if anyone wants to employ me I'm very nice and very unemployed as of tomorrow!). Hopefully we will get across to Cuba, as I have noticed that the USA is relaxing its position on that little embargo.

So this may be my last post until June, but I will try and add something while I'm away, I just can't guarantee that all my busy days reading on the beach won't get in the way. And to look forward, after June I have my sewing machines back! Yay! Sewing!

I wish you all sunny happy times until I return.

xx j & Mr J Peanut Butter xx

Breakfast is lovely...

So our housemates left on Sunday and while it has been a little empty and we have been busy cleaning the house it has been super dooper nice to have a little time to unwind from the winter with just my Mr J Peanut Butter. We sleep late and have long breakfasts and with all this sunshine I am a happy little Vegemite!

Happy Spring time xx j.

p.s this is the first beanie I even knitted, it's from thrifted wool but with a new pom pom - who knew pom pom's would self destruct when pitted against the evil washer/dryer?!

Finished Beanie!

So I finally finished the beanie that I was soooo excited to knit for Mr D! (I know it only took me 10,000 light years). I was worried that it wasn't going to be as I imagined it, but the colours look awesome and the pom pom (or bom bom as my mum calls them) looks wicked and it didn't turn out as something nanna might knit!

(Sorry about those loose threads, I had to take the photo of Mr J Peanut Butter modeling it before I left for work!)

Feels good to finish something, and to make something for a friend. Now, I hope he likes it!

xx j.

Five Friday Thoughts...

1. "Friends - New friends, old friends, best friends, real friends." I've made some awesome friends here in Fernie this season, and all around the world this year travelling. I'm going to miss my newly acquired, highly excellent friends when I go back to the old faithful ones in good ol' Melbourne town. Here is a fine selection of us on Hot Dog day at Fernie (flouro, 80s and lots-o-drinkin' based on the 1984 movie Hot Dog Day).

2. "The Changing of Seasons". I have loved having a real winter - one where you have a reason to go outside (snowboarding) and a reason to catch up with your friends everyday (snowboarding) and a reason to own multiple beanies and gloves (walking to the pub) - but I love spring and summer too and I can't wait to be in Mexico for the summer sun!

image found here

...but I am going to miss the snow...

a photo from our trip down to Big Mountain, Whitefish, Montana USA

3. "Why does being in a relationship where you have to make concessions mean that you are a woman that exists only to look after their man?"

Yesterday I spent a long time thinking about this because of these interesting articles: Sunday Column: The new young domestic goddess... by mamamia and Mother Anonymous by Emily Nussbaum for the New Yorker.

I am going to move to a country town somewhere far far away from the bright lights of the city and more than likely away from any opportunities in publishing (which is what I studied for). I am also the first of my family and my friends to be engaged and being the youngest of 4 some people think that was too young (wee young age of 24!). To top it all off I have taken to traditional "womanly" activities like netball, sewing, knitting and cooking. But as you could see if you read my blog or knew me you know I do traditional "manly" activities like snowboarding, cycling, drinking beer, following a footy club. But further to this my dad has always been the cook and cleaner in our house; he even glued on sequins to my ballet costumes. And even further to this my lovely Mr J Peanut Butter cooks dinner nearly every night and loves a good eyebrow pluck (well, his is more a get-rid-of-the-mono-to-make-two-distinct-eyebrows pluck). To end my little rant, I think us women get bogged down in one dimension of ourselves. Yes, I'm sure having a baby changes some things, but I know I will always like to get dirty, sweaty and a little prissy and I subscribe to the belief that if I am happy Mr J Peanut Butter is happy and if he is happy I am happy. We should stop trying to define ourselves against something and start defining ourselves based on how happy we are.

...whooooph, rant over!

4. "Musicians, actors, bad behaviour". Yesterday I was listening to CBC radio Canada and they were discussing a recent program of Q where Billy Bob Thorton lost his cool when presenter Jian Ghomeshi mentioned his cinematic career as an intro to talking to him about his music career with The Boxmasters. What an Ass! Why can't people just get over themselves!? Wicked show by the way...

5. Happy Easter - Stay SAFE on the roads

xx j.

I like eating Hot Cross Buns!

So I know that it's not exactly Easter yet, and technically I shouldn't be eating Hot Cross Buns, but I love the so and I only have 13 days left in Fernie (13!) and my dad used to always make them for Easter at home so I decided that it was time to delve into the horrible world of baking brought to you by yours truly! I got the recipe from Taste.com.au and they are pretty good but a little doughy (which a quick whip in the toaster will totally solve!). They looked so pretty before they were cooked!

... not so pretty baked!

Beanie is nearly finished, and yes, I am aware that it has taken me eons the knit one beanie, and no, I have no excuse at all.

xx j.

I am terribly unphotogenic...

...especially when I have no time to prepare AND when the person taking the photo points it at my chubby cheeks! But, I won Employee of the Month and I get a bunch of prizes so I really couldn't care what my photo looks like, plus, Mr J Peanut Butter tells me I look beautiful everyday, which also helps. It's been a great Friday today, my bro was so impressed by my snowboarding prowess that he put me on his desktop, along with the monsters he designs when he is in boring meetings. He should be an artist not a corporate-graphic-designer-monkey. Bless his cotton socks.

I personally like them all but my fav is the pink one who looks a little unsatisfied that he has bubbles for hair and not something a little more scary - like pitchforks.

And I thought I'd share with you my favourite accessory ever, which I would wear everyday if I could, my Jungle Necklace. I brought this in the Egyptian desert while visiting a small town, from an adorable little girl who had the most amazing handcrafted goods while all the other sellers had generic poorly made crap. I brought 2 because I like them so much, now I wish I had of brought a million and commissioned her to make as many as she could. Look at the cute little giraffe... and the rhino... so small, sooooo cute!

Lastly, Five Friday Thoughts (sorry I missed last week)

1. "I wish I could spend 15 weeks at 15 different ski hills, and I would start with Revelstoke... it was amazing, everyone should have the chance to ride groomers that nice."

2. "Why do I get half way through a knitting project and lose the enthusiasm?"

3. "What am I going to wear to the wedding when I get back? Where can I find a cute dress?!" (I have been looking at some lovely feathered headbands on Etsy as a good spruce for a plain dress... this one is from kaang)

4. "Why is transferring money internationally so difficult?!"

5. "I hope it snows on Sunday"

... I know, I know, not very deep today - pretty darn superficial thoughts. Hopefully next week I can inspire a little more... hehe!

xx j.