I’ve decided to do something a little different this week;  I downloaded a few mosaic apps for my iPhone and instead of posting individual pictures I wanted to post a mosaic, just to see how it looks. If I like it I’ll be trying the other apps (if you were wondering, the one I’m using for this post is Grid Lens).

Sunday – I was feeling a bit down so I decided I needed a to buy a ‘pick me up’ present for myself. I ended up getting a Hello Kitty pez dispenser and wocka wocka nail polish from the OPI muppets collection.
Monday – Phillip and I made cream cheese & strawberry cupcakes; they were delicious, and I ate most of them…
Tuesday – Tuatara!
Wednesday – I got a contact! I have since lost it, no idea where the fuck it’s gone; all I know was that I was wearing it when I left the house today, and I wasn’t when I got back. Whoops.
Thursday – Messing around with the Buy One Get Some sign at work
Friday – California Rolls from Maki Mono are delicious
Saturday – Soap, soap, glorious soap!

Anyway, here’s what I currently have in my bag:

• Water bottle – I actually have about three of these bottles in my bag, I refill them and keep them in my drawer at work, so I don’t have to keep going to Butlers to get them to fill it up when they’re empty.
• Glasses case – they were originally for the glasses I got from Clearly Contacts, but I now keep my sunglasses in them.
• Sunglasses
• Contact lens bag - inside this bag I have: contact lens, case, conditioner, solution, cleaning fluid; and eyedrops
• Headphones – they were my leaving gift from Amstore.
• Keychain – On this chain I have: apartment access card, apartment key, key for drawers at work, key for the shelves at work; and my snapper card.
• Strawberry scented hand cleanser from The Body Shop
• 2012 Planner
• I listen to bands that don’t even exist yet journal - it was a gift from my mum, I LOVE it
• Notepad for writing lists
• A friend’s birthday card

This week: Coffee & fruit salad with Arawhetu, feel good presents to myself (I’ve been feeling pretty shit all week, so I decided to get myself a little something to lift my mood a little, I got: a Hello Kitty pez dispenser & wocka wocka nail polish from The Muppets range by OPI), when my nails match my clothing, milkshakes!! (and brunch with great company), strawberry & cream cheese cupcakes with pink cream cheese icing, walking along the waterfront on my way to the optometrist, contacts that fit; and not seeing double. Life is beautiful.

I had another appointment at the optometrist today; thankfully this time I knew what to expect so it wasn’t such an ordeal!

Anyway, at this appointment I was given: A trial lens for my right eye (apparently my left eye is so screwed I won’t be needing a lens for it*), some conditioner, cleaning fluid, a tiny bottle of solution and a miniature plunger to remove my contact (I talked about in my previous post).

I have another appointment in a week’s time to see how the lens is going; so far so good, I’m not seeing double, which is fantastic. Still not a fan of the plunger though.

*The vision out of my left eye is terrible, I can barely make out shapes and can’t read shit – does this mean that I won’t be able to get a New Zealand driver’s license?

In For The Kill – La Roux

Bag Lady – Erykah Badu

Magic – Ladyhawke

Hurricane Drunk – Florence + The Machine

Heart Skipped A Beat – The XX

Saturday:
My coffee had a Mickey Mouse in it, it was supposed to be a heart, apparently.
Monday:
My Snapper card snapped in half, so I had to get a new one
Tuesday:
Walking along the water front on my way to the optometrist
Wednesday:
I didn’t leave the house once
Thursday
I had coffee at Fidel’s with Arawhetu
Friday:
On my way to work
Saturday:
When I left for work it was sunny, when I finished? Not so much

This week, i’s all about the little things: surprise gifts (I absolutely adore the notebook my mum got for me), the accidental Mickey Mouse in my morning coffee (it was, apparently, supposed to be a heart), catching up with great friends for coffee, walking along the waterfront on a sunny day, new job opportunities (*fingerscrossed*), free sushi (it’s the BEST sushi), Sherlock (best show ever), cherry coke, working with such an awesome group of people, hilariously awesome tweets like this & this,  getting a ride home from work; and pancakes for dinner

The thing is, I’ve been wearing glasses for as long as I can remember – I think I got my first pair when I was about three; it was around the time I had surgery to tighten the muscles in my eyes (I was born cross-eyed, I still have a bit of a lazy eye, which apparently is pretty noticeable when I’m tired, or hungover). So, forever, pretty much.

Anyway, late last year after about a year of being glasses-less (naughty, I know) I decided I NEEDED to make an optometrist appointment. While I was there I was told that I may be developing a disorder of the eye called keratoconus (I have a slight astigmatism and get eczema, asthma, hay-fever and I rub my eyes – which apparently may contribute to the progression of this disorder) , given my lens prescription, a follow-up appointment and sent on my merry way.

For those wondering, keratoconus is a disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and turn into a more conical shape than it’s usual gradual curve – basically your corneas turn into cones.

Turns out I was developing keratoconus, at my follow-up appointment I was told glasses would no longer be helpful in correcting my vision as I had started seeing double in my ‘good’ eye (with or without glasses) and I would need to get rigid contact lenses – I had my first contact lens fitting yesterday, it was weird.

First off I was given an anaesthetic to numb my eye, as apparently rigid contacts are uncomfortable to use the first time, although I’m not sure what would have been worse: feeling a contact on my eye, or my eyelid feeling my numb eyeball every time I blinked… I then had a yellow dye put into my eye so the optometrist could see how the contact was fitting – which wasn’t that bad, although everything had a yellow hue to it for a while. After that it was time to (try) to remove them. This was a mission; I got told the easiest way to remove a rigid contact out was to stand over a table, open my eye as wide as I could, pull my eyelid back and blink. That worked well with my left eye, the right eye not so much, and the optometrist ended up having to use something that can only be described as a miniature toilet plunger to remove it. Hilarious? Yes. Fun? Not so much.

The fitting lasted about an hour, and while it was weird it was good finding a near prefect fit for my right eye. Not seeing double out of that eye was fantastic! I have my second fitting next week, and while I was nervous about having to need contacts earlier, the payoffs definitely outweigh any doubts I had.

I am going to miss glasses though, I have had them for so long that they have become a part of me, and in that way – to me – it is kind of like losing a lover, or a friend.

Hey Ya! – Cocoon

Last Nite – Adele

Somebody That I Used To Know – Ingrid Michaelson 

 New Slang – Iron Horse

Somebody That I Used To Know – Walk Off The Earth

Sunday
I had coffee and tea with Rochelle at Memphis Belle
Monday
The Panama Lunch Bar do gluten-free pies (they’re amazing)
Tuesday
I finally caught one of the new trains
wednesday
A belated Christmas present from @sitharus arrived
Thursday
Heading to work; headphones are my saviour
Friday
I had coffee with Carol in the morning
Saturday
On my lunch break at work

Wow, I can’t believe the last HFH post I did was last September (yes, I know, I’m pretty bad at this regular blogging thing). Seeing as one of my goals this year is to write more I am determined to post these things one time (and without week-long/month-long gaps). Anyway, enough babbling and on with the awesomeness

• Homemade gingerbread men – they’re delicious and fun to decorate.
• Catching up with Miss Jess (who just got back from Guadeloupe) – we went to Heaven Pizza where we talked shit and I ate (bar one slice) an entire large Kiwi Pizza (bacon, egg and mozzarella goodness).
• Stores with inspiring window displays – While walking past Kikki.K on Saturday I noticed the journals (I am obsessed with journals) in their window display, then I noticed the window and it made my evening.
• Coffee and tea with Rochelle – I got to catch up and hang out with Rochelle on Sunday (which despite the shit weather was awesome).
• Hanging out with Miss Carol – I caught the train out to Wingate yesterday, and got to hang out with Carol, it was cool because I hadn’t caught up with her one-on-one for a while.
• Belated Christmas presents – my Pinkie Pie plushie arrived today, and she’s adorable (yes, I like My Little Ponies).
• Getting lovely cards in the mail – got a card from my mum this afternoon. Best. Card. Ever.
• The Little Things – Sunshine (the weather has been a bit shit recently), gelato, pretty dresses, coffee in the morning, the smell of Lush throughout the house, new job prospects (*fingers crossed*), time off work (sun, sun, glorious sun); and the feeling of being appreciated.

My boyfriend and I spent New Year’s Eve at his parent’s house in Featherston, and while we there his parents gave us our Christmas presents, mine was a book called ‘A Home Companion – My Year living like my grandmother’ by Wendy Nissen.

The book details Wendyl’s year-long journey towards self-sufficiency and contains recipes for everything from lip balm to cheese to spray cleaners. While we were away, I read the book cover to cover at least three times and vowed to make (just about) everything in the book (much to my boyfriend’s dismay – apparently it’s a waste of time and money).

So far I have made an all-purpose spray cleaner, a glass cleaner and some ‘tooth powder’, and I thought I’d share the recipes with you, so you could get your Domestic Goddess (or God) on if you wanted to (oh, and if you were wondering, yes, they work!)

All-purpose spray cleaner:
Nearly fill a 1 litre spray bottle with water (if you can’t find a 1l itre bottle a smaller one is fine; I have made two cleaners, the first used a 500 ml bottle and the second used a 450 ml bottle and they work fine). Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda, a few drops of liquid soap (preferably Dr Bronner’s castile liquid soap) add 10 drops of essential oil (I used lime, it just depends on the smell you prefer – also if flies are a problem citronella oil will help deter them). Shake together. If you have wooden bench tops use about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and shake the bottle every time you use it to disperse the oil.

Glass Cleaner:
Fill a spray bottle with 1 cups of water and 1 cup of white vinegar. Add a few drops of liquid detergent and a few drops of lime oil (or whichever essential oil you prefer). Spray windows, wipe with a rag and finish off with a scrunched up paper towel.

Cinnamon tooth Powder:
Mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 of stevia powder (I decided to double the stevia powder – that wasn’t a good idea at all, it’s far too sweet). Put in a jar with a lid and shake up. To use, damp your toothbrush with water then stick in the jar to get a good coating. Scrub away – if you don’t like cinnamon you could substitute the cinnamon powder for either 3 drops of peppermint essential oil, or three drops of lemon oil.

Let me know if you try any of these recipes out, and if/how they worked for you. I’m hopefully going to be making some more soon, and will share those here with you as well.

Sunday
The first of Jan! We drove to Martinborough then through the backroads of Caterton…

Monday
This was the only photo I took on Monday – I found Big Red soda; it was disappointing.  

Tuesday
We made gingerbread men… There’s always at least one casualty.  

Wednesday
Walking along the waterfront on my way home from the optometrist.  

Thursday
First day back at work; I worked the late night and got home at around 10:30pm. 

Friday
I caught up with Jess, and pretty much ate that entire pizza.

Saturday
I saw the sign of a store window as I was leaving work… 

I found this list a while ago via stumbleupon (it can be very addictive, it’s also a good way to find new sites you’ll be interested in) and I’ve recently written it on the front page of my planner as a way of keeping myself motivated.

Anyway, I thought I’d share the list with you, as well as add a few notes. Enjoy.

1. Make Lists – I am forever writing lists; I’m pretty obsessive about it, so much so that if a list doesn’t look ‘right‘ I’ll scrunch it up, throw it away and write it out again (even if it’s just a shopping list…)
2. Carry a notebook everywhere – I’ve always carried a notebook with me at all times; the shitty thing is that when I get an idea, or the insane urge to jot something down I’m usually busy (not the best look pulling your notebook out when you work in a kiosk in a relatively busy mall…)
3. Try free writing – I have given this MANY shots; it’s just not for me, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t for you.
4. Get away from the computer – This is probably something that I need plastered on my Macbook; I spend most (if not all) of the time I spend procrastinating on the net…
5. Quit beating yourself up – I am definitely my own worst enemy/harshest critic/insert self-loathing cliché here, it’s time for that shit to stop, we need to be kinder to ourselves yo!
6. Take breaks – I need to remind myself that a ‘break’ is not: watching youtube videos or checking twitter, or playing bejewelled (cringe, I know), I need to go for walks, go to a café alone or dance around the house to insanely horrible music.
7. Sing in the shower – I never do this, it just doesn’t come naturally to me at all. I guess it’s because as a kid a friend told me I should lip sync instead of singing out loud, so I’m always self-conscious about singing (unless I’m making up stupid lyrics, because then it’s okay to sing in a ridiculous voice).
8. Drink Coffee – Maybe I’m weird, but I find that if I want to be in a creative mindset I’d much rather be drinking tea (herbal is preferable, and in one of my many china cups).
9. Listen to new music – I have been using 8tracks for a while, and Rochelle recently suggested bandcamp; both sites are really good for finding new bands/genres/things to listen to.
10. Be open – To life, to love, to everything that gets thrown at you.
11. Surround yourself with creative people
12. Get feedback
13. Collaborate – guest posts anyone?
14. Don’t give up - I’m impatient as fuck and get disheartened really easily if something doesn’t work out…
15. Practice, practice, practice – It makes perfect. Apparently.
16. Allow yourself to make mistakes - Mistakes can be just as (oftentimes more) beautiful as something that was done on purpose.
17. Go somewhere new – I plan on taking lots of little breaks this year (roadtrips, discovering places in Wellington I haven’t been to, saving up and going overseas…)
18. Count your blessings - I do this weekly (although I haven’t for a while), it’s good for the soul.
19. Get lots of rest – This could be one of my problems, I never get enough sleep. Ever.
20. Take risks
21. Break the rules
22. Don’t force it – I need to remember if it isn’t working it isn’t working and I need to take a break.
23. Read a page of the dictionary – it’s been a while since I’ve done this, the last time I read a page from the dictionary I found out that the word pusillanimous means weak or timid (is this where the insult pussy comes from?)
24. Create a framework
25. Stop trying to be someone else’s perfect
26. Got an idea? Write it down – Yeah, as I said earlier that’s a bit tricky…
27. Clean your workspace – Must remember to keep my workspace tidy and to put things back where they belong (I am seriously the untidiest person ever).
28. Have fun
29. Finish something

Hey there! Seeing as it’s a new year,  I thought I’d share some of the goals I have set myself (despite there being at least one which will probably never happen).

• Do a photo a day challenge for a year – I have been following Sarah-Rose’s blog Oh, Daring for a couple of years and have wanted to do this for the longest time, so I’ve decided to give it a shot.
• Become more organised/tidy – I am seriously the untidiest person you will ever meet (I say untidy because there is a huge difference between messy and dirty, I am the former!), it’s time for a change (this is going to be hard)…
• Get healthy & lose weight – this is another one of those long-term goals that I haven’t gotten around to doing anything about…
• WRITE MORE
• Spend less/save more – spending less shouldn’t be that hard, as I am now getting paid less than I was at my previous job, saving however, may prove to be a bit difficult…
• Make stuff/take up a craft/hobby – I want to learn how to sew, but I don’t have the patience for it, I have however made some natural cleaning products (I’ll post the recipes for these later).
• Cook/bake more – I love baking, but I’m always too tired to do it.
• Apply for a passport – I lost mine in 2004 and still haven’t applied for a new one, what. the. hell?
• Travel/take more holidays – even if it is just a road trip around New Zealand, I really need to get out and about more.
• Get a new job – I love the job I have, and the people I’m working with, but I need something closer to home, and more money.

I have been meaning to make this post for a couple of days now, but haven’t really had the motivation to do it, anyway, here we go:

What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Started a new job – I am currently a sales-assistant at the newly opened Lush store at Westfield Queensgate

Did you keep your New Years resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t make resolutions as such, but I do make lose goals – things that I would like to see happen. Not giving them the tag of resolution means I’m not as hard on myself if I don’t complete them.

Did anyone close to you give birth? Not that I know of.

Did anyone close to you die? No

What countries did you visit? None, I will need to rectify this.

What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? A bit more money to play with,  a job closer to home, and more free time (travelling to out to Lower Hutt everyday is time consuming).

What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory? Friday the 18th of November – my final day at Amstore (I had been there two ten years), after work we had dinner at One Red Dog and then had a few drinks at Foxglove. It was a bittersweet experience.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Starting a new job after being at my old one for so long, as well as coming to the realisation that I doubt myself far too much – I can do just about anything I put my mind to (I say just about, because I know I’m NEVER going to be a singer).

What was your biggest failure?  I think I could have done better with eating healthier (less), something to work towards in 2012

Did you suffer illness or injury? I was sick a hell of a lot for the first part of the year – constantly had the flu, not nice at all!

What was the best thing you bought? My glasses? I had put off getting a  new pair around a year – whoops!

Whose behaviour merited celebration? Mum – for getting an A+ on her masters thesis and for deciding to do her Phd – that’s another woman who doesn’t giver herself enough credit!

Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? A lot of things made me depressed, not sure if it was related to anyone or anything in particular though.

Where did most of your money go? Food, travel and office type clothes (more during the latter part of the year)

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Working at Lush

What song/album will always remind you of 2011? Anchor by Mindy Gledhill

Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? Neither, depressing I know.
thinner or fatter? I haven’t weighed myself in a long time, I’m too scared to do it now.
richer or poorer? Poorer

What do you wish you’d done more of? drawing, painting, writing.

What do you wish you’d done less of? wasting days in bed,  eating bad food.

How did you be spend Christmas? At mum’s during the day, and then at the Botanical Gardens with Phillip during the afternoon – I loved it, definitely a lot better than last year’s!

Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? Customers at Amstore?!?! I’m not a huge talk on the phone person… Carol most probably though.

Did you fall in love in 2011?  Nope

How many one night stands in this last year? None

What was your favourite TV programme? Doctor Who, and Bones (I can’t pick one).

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No, utter waste of time.

What was the best book(s) you read? Books I enjoyed: I *think* this was the year I started reading the Harry Potter Series, I can’t quite remember… I also read Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, it was fantastic.

What was your greatest musical discovery? 8tracks.com, Mindy Gledhill and Lenka

What did you want and get?  An iPhone.

What did you want and not get? A few things probably, but nothing I can remember, so they obviously weren’t that important… no wait, a cat (or five) and a house with a bath.

What were your favourite films of this year? I didn’t go to the movies at all this year, despite living right next door to one.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I celebrated it by eating cake and hanging out at Meow.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More money, free time, a cat (or five), a house with a bath…

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? Same-old – stuff that flatters my body shape; mainly dresses.

What kept you sane?Routine,  a lot of alone time, cups of tea, hugs and clonazepam.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? TJ Thyne. Unf.

What political issue stirred you the most? Welfare.

Who did you miss? Not sure if I missed anyone this year.

Who was the best new person you met? The Lush Queensgate crew, they are an amazing team!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.  How much I’m worth, that I am better than I think, that I am more than capable and that I am more than good enough.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
I wanna hold the whole wide world
Right here in my open hands
Maybe I’m just a little girl
A little girl with great big plans

While we were away however, I managed to find the time to go through iTunes and have a spring-clean of the music I have, while I was doing that I came across Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win by The Beastie Boys and Santigold (formerly Santogold, I always forget what way around that goes), enjoy.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely in love with lush (so much so that when I when I found out we would be housesitting for my boyfriend’s parents for two weeks I put aside a bit of cash to spend on bubble bars and ballistics, as we don’t have a bath); so of course when this year’s Christmas products were revealed via their youtube channel I was beyond excited and couldn’t wait to get my hands on/nose into it.

Here’s what I have bought so far (I’m considering buying some bubble bars/ballistics, but I’ll have to stay somewhere with a bath to be able to use them):

• Snowcake soap - which, has so far been my Christmas staple.
• Candy Cane soap – it’s basically snowflake with a pepperminty twist – SO GOOD.
• Chilli Tingle lip tint – I was a bit disappointed as it wasn’t nearly as tingly as I thought it was going to be, but it tastes delicious.
• Celebrate lip tint – it taste delicious AND contains popping candy, just don’t do what I did and open it while you’re sitting on your bed… candy everywhere.

Oh! Aside from the Christmas products, the Halloween products went on sale today as well (while I was there yesterday, I asked when/if the stores were going to be selling them); the twilight and ghost shower gels both smell amazingly amazing (yes, I had to say it twice).