hello 2015

Hello my lovely friendlikins & hello 2015!

Wow, we are already in February. C-razy! How's the new year been treating you so far? Did you have a very merry christmas + a holly jolly new year's eve? Have you made resolutions or goals for the year?  Have you already forgotten about them, or are you trooping on like a trooper, ticking off those goals like a winner?!

It has been a pretty BONKERS kind of holiday season around here. THAT IS FOR SHIZZLE.

handmade christmas pressies

It all began when I decided that no one was missing out on christmas presents - i was going to be prepared! It looked a lil' like this: I spent October, November & December making christmas presents {crochet bow ties for the guys and painted beaded necklaces for the lovely ladies} and christmas cards {which were old lady cards that I painted bright colours and stamped}. AMAZINGLY I actually completed all presents and most people received cards.

eric & grace and mish & steve

There were christmas parties left, right and centre, the silly season indeed! Our bible study christmas party kicked off the festivities early in December {on my birthday} - we also farewelled two couples who are having babies and moving away! We miss you Grace & Eric and Mish & Steve {and your baby bumps}. We spent the night eating pizza and giving our secret santa presents {I received the 1st gift, due to it being my birthday and ended up with a super soaker which I re-gifted to my 3 year old nephew for his birthday {he literally loved it to death so much that his parents bought him a new one!} Tommy, well he ended up with an origami kit which is right up his crafty alley.

We have also done a WHOLE lot of travelling lately, including:

nelson bay adventures with dave

• NELSON BAY - a couple of days spent with our friend dave playing board games, card games, eating fish'n'chips, gelato & having a dip at Shoal Bay.

christmas adventures in melalueca 

• MELALUECA - my aunty and uncle's property near Wollombi, we spent a couple of days surrounded by the bush and cows wandering and geese chattering and catching up with my side of the family and exchanging presents and of course; sitting by the fire crocheting.

• NEWCASTLE - we spent the day catching up with Tommy's side of the family, nomming delish lunch and partying on well into the evening. Followed by dessert & drinks by the fire. 

nelson bay adventures for NYE

• NELSON BAY - we were back up at my parents holiday apartment for NYE with Andy & Emma, and met up with Lakkos. Activities included: walking up Tommaree mountian and enjoying the view,  followed by an eager walk back down to jump straight into the ocean! It was HOT. We swam, we ate gelato, sushi,  fish'n'chips, played card games, board games, computer games, went for walks, watched the NYE fireworks & generally had a jolly ol' time!

We have also enjoyed many a wedding of late:

ryan & chelsea's wedding

• RYAN & CHELSEA'S - was a creative bohemian affair at the park in Balmain by the water. There were hay bales, poems spoken and dances performed and even a cross to signify the importance of Jesus in their life and in their marriage. The lovely bridesmaids wore lilac dresses and the groomsmen wore wooden bow ties that Tom & I handmade. Unfortunately we had to leave the reception early as Tommy had a Thief gig that night. It was a beautiful day!

andy & emma's wedding

• ANDY & EMMA'S - was a lovely teal & peacock themed wedding with a great talk by Tom's boss Arnaldo. Tommy did a great job at his best man speech! I had the privilege of decorating the church with peacock feathers and ribbons all the way down the aisle. There were fairy lights still up from christmas - it made the church look magical!

emily & julian's wedding

• EMILY & JULIAN'S - it was quite a hot day, and poor Emily was in a beautiful three layered silk wedding dress! It was a fairly formal occasion full of laughs. The reception was a bit of a drive, but was really lovely. A barn out in a paddock, surrounded by trees, a stream backed by a beautiful sunset! There was plenty of great food, friends and frolicking! 

• TOBY & RACHEL'S - was quite a drive all the way to WOLLONGONG. It was a lovely, christ centred wedding. We caught the train home exhausted as we had helped Grace and Eric move the day before! {fish'n'chips and the beach were involved- so good!}

We have spent hours playing with our crazy monkey nephews & nieces - and looking forward to meeting one more on the way! 

We have caught up with our friends Brad & marissa who we haven't seen in FOREVER! It was lovely to see their new abode, catch up on life and eat yummy beef and veggie pot pie and ice cream. 

On top of all these wonderful things we have also been...

• RENOVATING - the main bedroom at my parents abode. We've been moving furniture around the house, pulling up carpet, peeling off  REALLY old wallpaper, so old it came off easily in big sheets! Now we're scrubbing the wallpaper glue to get it ready to sand and paint!

• CRAFTERNOON'S - i've been teaching a lovely friend Beth how to crochet over the summer. It's been lovely to hang out, craft and bless someone with a new skill. She's already quite confident after a few lessons; practicing and enjoying it - which is wonderful to see! In the last couple of weeks I've made a scarf and four crocheted necklaces and another on the way! 

• MOVE HOUSE - we've helped Maddy {my sis-in-law} move house into this beautiful five bedroom house right across the road from the church where Mike will be working. All three kids love the house and it will be a great size with another bub on the way and also for entertaining. We spent the day moving furniture and boxes into their appropriate rooms. I unpacked most of the kitchen and entertained the kids to keep them out of the way. 

josie leaves for adventures in perth

• GOODBYE - i said goodbye, see you later, sometime soon please to my oldest and closest friend Josie who has moved to perth to study and work as an ESL teacher. We went for a walk to the park, lay down in the grass catching up and saying goodbyes. I already miss her... 

brian & jesse's 21st birthday party {so tired}

• 21st BIRTHDAY PARTY - it was Brian + Jesse's 'two for one deal' birthday party a few weeks ago.  It was full of insightful speeches, catching up with friends,  feeling old and crocheting - followed by a sudden thunder storm that had us all racing inside!

engagement party fleurs and crochet necklace making time!

• ANNA & TIM'S ENGAGEMENT PARTY - we ended january with a lovely engagement party in the garden of a beautiful home in Killara. It was a night of tasty treats, catching up with friends, listening to good music and celebrating the couple of the night! I spent most of the night sitting down crocheting as I had decided that it was about time that I wore my beautiful teal wedding shoes which I hadn't worn since our wedding, as they are platform stilettos and I cannot walk so well in them!

Well that was a mouth full! Well done for getting through all of that! I hope it was an enjoyable read : ) it's been a lovely,  exhausting and event-filled couple of months! I wonder what other adventures God has planned for 2015? I reckon it's going to be jam packed full of goodness! 

HAPPY 2015 LOVELIES!

love love

{lizzie}

  xoxo

p.s. COMING SOON: 2015 goals.

birthday/christmas wishlist

birthday cupcake!

hello lovelies!

how are you this fine and dandy day? can you believe it's nearly december?! where has the year gone? it's been a year of patience + excitement + creativity + travel over here. how about you? i always look forward to december. it means it's my birthday + jesus' birthday + making CHRISTmas presents + spending time with family + parties + holidays + new year's eve! yay : )

i thought i would share my birthday/christmas wishlist with you all, so that you can be inspired to find something for your loved ones this holiday season! here we go:

{clothes}

peter pan collared shirt + jumpsuit + gorman space top + polkadot socks

{shoes}

teal clogs + pink jelly sandals + colourful jelly sandals

{sunglasses + filofax + satchell}

karen walker sunnies + cat-eye sunnies + teal filofax + purple leather satchell

{accessories + perfume}

handmade necklace + leather pink camera strap + colourful bralette + daisy perfume + polkadot belt + sparkly studs

 these are a few of my favourite things at the mo. do they tickle your fancy too?

HAPPY SHOPPING FRIENDLIKINS!

love love
{lizzie}
 xoxo

lizzie's life lately - adventures with tommy!

hello lovelies!

how are you my friendlikins? hope all is well. tommy + i have been really sick the last couple of days, tommy more so! i think it was the flu - he had the shivers + a high temperature, so we pumped him with all the water + pain killers + antibiotics - and is doing much better now! it's been a bit strange not being able to do anything the last couple of days, as we had such a lovely full week, packed full of adventures!

here's a peek into our week:

{sunday}

roadtrip outfit

was a lovely afternoon spent celebrating emma's bridal shower, nomming on delish treats + catching up with friends + playing bridal shower games! this was followed by a solo roadtrip up the coast for a sleepover with josie. it was a bit of a tense drive, as i only had a bit less than half a tank of petrol + only $8 to fill up if i ran out! josie + i spent the night catching up + meeting her lovely new house mates + watching monumental men - it's pretty good!

{monday}

beach adventures with josie!

we slept in, had breakfast + then walked down to the beach - where we got pummelled by the waves + burnt our feet on the hot hot sand. BUT this was all part of the fun of spending the day in the sunshine with my friend jo. if driving up the coast was a bit tense then driving home was all that much worse! i couldn't use the air con, although it was quite hot still even in the evening. i just had to go slowly up the hills + roll down them! BUT i got home just on empty - thank you jesus!

{tuesday}

adventures with tommy!

i was up early to pick up tommy from the airport, as he had returned from his NYC adventures with thief! i miss him when he's gone, and it's so lovely to have him home again. we decided to make the most of the day + so walked to macquarie centre which is about 4.5 kms away. it was so lovely to just dawdle our way through the lovely tree filled path, looking out for the bearded dragon lizards sun bathing + then scampering into the bushes when we came too close! we took some photos + ate some lunch. we checked out the new fancy parts of the shopping centre + i got to hear all about tommy's NYC adventures!

fun display at mc centre

{wednesday}

we were up early {well early for us! - which is a miracle, as we have both been struggling to get up before midday...} i think it was about 9am. we thought, 'let's carpe diem the poop out of this day too!' so we rode our bikes to maddy's {tom's sister} to share adventure stories from NYC, and entertain marky + jojo {our nephew + neice}. we ate lunch + stayed for a while + then made our way back home, a lot slower this time. we stopped at the shops to refill our water bottles + eat some much needed icecream {the first time since we had had icecream at this store, since the night tommy proposed!} when we finally arrived home after our 37 kms bike ride, needless to say, we were POOPED!

{thursday}

water play with alex + zack {via - tom's instagram}

we awoke early {whaaaat?!} and made our way to tom's other sister's house {hannah}. the boys were driving her a bit nutty + so we came to the rescue! we all had a lovely day of keeping the boys entertained whilst some house work got down, some tidying of the craft room {for some much needed mummy craft time} + painting with water on the deck. we also enjoyed quite a hot walk to the shops, where we enjoyed some milkshakes + banana bread.

{friday}

we were up early again {crazy town!} + tommy taught a drum lesson + then we went on an adventure to check out a drum store + stumbled across a home brew store. it was a great discovery as tommy may be able to sell a vintage drum kit he no longer uses + a place to sell the drums that he makes! we also have a store that has a more comprehensive selection of home brew materials, for when tommy + his dad get back into making their own cider! we ate a delish lunch of fish'n'chips + then took tommy to his doctor's appointment - as he had a sore knee from all the walking he did in NYC - {27 500 steps in just one day!} this was followed by a surprise visit from maddy + the 3 munchkins, who stayed for dinner + watched thumberlina.

{saturday}

bubble bath time! {via - tom's instagram}

God was working miracles because we were up early again! we spent the day looking after jojo who is a bit older than 2. it was SUPER hot that day, so we ate icecream + played with the hose, splashing the ducks + each other. we watched some kids tv + played ipad in the cool of the air con. BUT the most fun we had was when tommy moved the outdoor bathtub into the shade under the deck, so that jojo + i could have a bubble bath with toys! good times. bubble baths are the best! by late afternoon it was time to get ready for beth's 21st! we arrived early to set up the bunting + mingled for a while but tommy hadn't been feeling well, and was fading quickly, so we left before any of the festivities had really started.


and so since saturday night {it's now monday night}, i've been caring for tommy in his sickly state - but he's doing a whole lot better now - thank you jesus!

so here's to more adventures, carpe diem-ing the day + being thankful for the good times!
i hope + pray that you have a joyful week!

love love
{lizzie}
 xoxo

{instagram photo a day}

hello lovely friendlikins!

how are you this fine + dandy sunshiney day? hope all is well! what's been happening in your neck of the woods? we've had lots happening our end, with getting tommy ready to go to america for SXSW {south by south west} a music convention + gig for upcoming bands. i drove him + jon {the bassist} to the airport yesterday + now they're in LA for a gig {playing for thief} + then off to austin texas! on top of getting passports + luggage packed + all the craziness of going overseas, i've been SUPER sick for over a month now + we are MOVING!

hence, my lack of posts over here. also my phone was sad + we had to do a factory re-set, which meant that i lost all my december + january photo a day photos from my phone! but it's OK, you can always check them out on my instagram.


and here are february's photo adventures:


{february}

day 1. {you}

post party snap.

day 2. {favourite}

tommy - looking swish!

day 3. {something orange}

painted my nails

day 4. {childhood}

dress up times - nannying

day 5. {square}

granny square - trying variations.

day 6. {c is for...}

cartoon characters - johnny bravo + josie from josie + the pussycats {b'day party}

day 8. {water}

balmoral - church community day adventures!

day 9. {details}

cross-stitching up a storm!

day 10. {i am...}

actually quite scared of heights!

day 12. {out + about}

adventures in newcastle!

day 13. {perfect}

balmoral - church community day - God's creation

day 16. {create}

i like to match my nails with the crafty project i'm working on - haha

day 19. {feet}

pretty toes after a pedicure!

day 23. {this is where i relax!}

our loft bed in the morning sunshine

day 24. {half}

katie + my other half {matt + tommy - our hubbies!}

day 26. {light}

newcastle adventures - fish'n'chips at scotty's for dinner

day 27. {my view today}

newcastle adventures - beautiful views whilst we nom on pizza for lunch!

february has been mighty fine, with adventures to newcastle, painting my nails, church community day to balmoral, a dress up birthday party, stitching, crocheting, nannying + gigs! how was your february? i hope it was delicious! 

would you like to join in the photo challenge good times? here's the list for march:

{march}

HAPPY SNAPPING LOVELIES!

love love

 {lizzie}

  xoxo

{the good times of 2013}

hello lovely friendlikins!

wow, we've made it to the end of 2013 + already into 2014! i hope it's been a good year for you : ) and that you're excited for the year ahead! here's a snapshot of my 2013:

2013 was the year of...

* 52 things before 25 + kikki k planner organisation

* moving to our beautiful cabin!

* bike rides!

* weddings, engagements, birthdays + CHRISTmas parties!

blue mountains wedding - jon + dante!

matt + katie lovegrove's wedding!

andrew's 21st birthday!

blue mountains wedding cake

freya + leo's engagement party!

blue mountains wedding + birthday celebrations!

* making tommy + i a quilt

* my first car wash!

* making lots of bunting for friends + family + etsy!

* christian conference - new wine festival!

* chain necklace scarf making!

* experimenting with stitching!

* pizza nights!

* we scored two vintage typewriters!

* blackstump!

* thief!

* road trip to nelson bay + the blue mountains + newcastle!

* pancakes!

* tom + my one year wedding anniversary!

* we saw the moscow circus perform!

* entered a knitting competition!

* enjoyed the beauty in this world God has blessed us with!

did you have a good 2013? looking back i can see there are so many things to be thankful for + i know that God has been pouring out his blessings on us. he's provided i more ways than i could ever know + blessed us with strength + good times, even amongst the harder stuff in life. HE's good like that! i'm excited for what 2014 has to offer! what adventures do you have to look forward to in 2014?

love love

 {lizzie}

  xoxo