Weekend Snapshots

1. Playing Rummy King with my family.
2. Mum and Dad's beautiful front garden.
3. My family members (including me) have gone crazy for juicing!
4. The street where I did a lot of my growing up.
5. Yummy veggie patties on wraps for Saturday's lunch.

I mentioned in my last post that I headed up to Tamworth for the weekend to spend time with my family (and Ben's). It was a perfect weekend filled with good food, sleep-ins, laughs and mum and dad completely spoiling me. We also got to see Ben's grandma who has been really really sick in hospital for a few months. She actually got out of hospital on Saturday and is doing so well. She is so strong and we are so happy to see her getting better. She's a precious lady, that one.

Not pictured: me dusting off an old pair of roller blades and showing off my skills (still got it), a lovely picnic in the park on Sunday, Ben and I playing basketball on the driveway, my brother's puppy Chester who has grown into a much much bigger puppy since I last saw him, getting the magic security code for my car radio meaning it no longer turns off after two minutes (it had been like that for two years so this is a massive victory) and a family dinner at Ben's nan's place where we sat around the table sharing stories of our weird habits from when we were kids. I am truly blessed. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

P.S 14 days left of work until I am holidays!

Home Is Wherever I'm With You

Ben and I left work early yesterday to drive inland to our home town for the weekend. We haven't been home since Christmas and probably won't get another chance for a while so we thought we'd make the most of this weekend and spend some time with our families.

I used to always dread the five hour drive between Sydney and Tamworth but yesterday it was actually enjoyable. It was a warm day and the sun was streaming into the car most of the way. We were also blessed with an amazing sunset as we drew nearer to home. I feel so lucky to have grown up in such an amazing part of the world.

I arrived home to my mum's fantastic cooking and spent the evening playing scrabble before I headed to bed early and had the best sleep I've had in months. I woke this morning to a fresh fruit and vegetable juice in the fridge and the amazing smell of something in the slow-cooker wafting through the house. It really does not get much better than this. Have a lovely weekend!

Awkward Family Photos (Not!)

Just some friendly siblings hanging out with nature, yo. Here's two of the pics we got taken to give to my Mum for her 50th birthday this week. Not gonna lie, was a little worried we'd end up with some awkward family photos but I think they turned out pretty well (apart from my arm pop - the photographer made me do it I swear!). It even looks like we love each other a little bit!

The experience was actually kind of traumatic for me, not because I don't like getting my photo taken but because there were BEES. As soon as we started taking the photos at the location of the first pic, we were swarmed by bees. I happen to be allergic to them and they just wouldn't quit it! Cue me freaking out, breaking out in a sweat and becoming super agitated and jumpy for the rest of the shoot. Was actually wondering whether it was my dress that was attracting them? Is that scientifically possible?

We also got some individual shots but I'll spare you the extreme close up of my face - I'm saving that one for LinkedIn!

Photos by Xanthe Roxburgh.

Sophie's Twenty First

It's been a weekend of celebrations for my family with it not just being the Easter long weekend but also the long awaited 21st birthday party for my little sister Sophie and an early birthday brunch for my Mum's 50th which is coming up this week. I had such a lovely weekend in Newcastle with my family and also got to see my best friend Jess which was an added bonus! The theme was Garden Party - what a good excuse to whip out some florals and a floppy hat (I was actually dressed by the birthday girl - thanks Soph!)

Here's a few photos from the party which was at a bowling club near the beach. It was a perfect spot and absolutely stunning day. My family traveled far and wide to attend the party and it was so nice to see everyone. There really is nothing better than being surrounded by loved ones.

We had a low key brunch the next day for my Mum and also gave her a gift from the three siblings which was some framed portraits of us. Will share some pics of those soon! Happy birthday to my mama and my little sis!

Back to reality now after a very slow trip down the highway to Sydney. Thank goodness I only have five weeks left until my big trip to the States. It cannot come soon enough! Hope you all had a wonderful long weekend.

Hairspiration

Today I bring you a little bit of hair inspiration thanks to my sister, Sophie, who happens to be a hairdresser - and a very good one at that! Here are 12 of her recent styles. As you can see, she's pretty handy when it comes to balayage and loves to experiment with different colours (she is always super excited when she gets a client brave enough to try something bright and bold). She also does a mean male haircut - I may be a little biased but she's the only one that can cut Ben's hair well.

Having a hairdresser in the family is amazing, although I really haven't been too adventurous with my own hair of late. I went through a few years of dying my hair different colours then finally decided to grow it all out and let my natural colour do its thang. I was pretty stoked to discover that my natural colour is actually quite nice, so I decided to leave it be for a few years. My hair is now the healthiest and longest it's ever been, but part of me is wondering whether I should let Sophie loose on my hair sometime soon. Oh and by the way, that's Sophie with the teal coloured hair in the pics above - she can definitely pull off any colour, no matter how bright it may be! If you live in Newcastle or are ever in the area, you should definitely hit her up for a new 'do. 

Home

I'm currently spending the long weekend in my home town, Tamworth, in rural NSW. It's so nice to be home with my Mum, Dad and big brother Sam (we're missing Sophie!). It's funny how much more I appreciate Tamworth now that I've been away for six years or so.

The weekend didn't start off too well. Friday was a very sad day as we said goodbye to our beautiful dog Oliver. Ollie was 13 years old and unfortunately suffered heart failure. He was such a precious pet and he loved us just as much as we loved him. He was the most gentle dog; I don't think we ever even heard him bark his whole life. It's amazing how much emptier the house feels without him around, trotting about to see where you are and popping his little head into the room to say hello. And yes, my blog is called nellie and oliver after our first dog Nellie and of course Oliver. I'm glad they can both be remembered this way and am sure they are having a good time reunited in puppy heaven.

Friday actually turned out to be quite an emotional, strange day as on Friday night at about 9.30pm we experienced two Earth Tremors as a result of a 4.2 magnitude Earthquake about 60km from Tamworth. It was really bizarre. We have never experienced anything like that up here. I was lying in bed watching Happy Endings on my laptop when I heard a rumbling noise. At first, I thought it was a low flying jet and actually wasn't going to bother getting up. I was quite sleepy. But then I realised that the walls and windows were actually shaking so I quickly jumped up. The first thing we did was open the front door and found all our neighbours doing the same thing and sure enough they had felt it too. The next thing I did was jump on Facebook and everyone in Tamworth was talking about it. Thankfully no damage was caused. It was truly a strange day.

The rest of the weekend has been spent keeping warm by the heater, drinking tea, eating lots of goodies that Mum has cooked and catching up with a few school friends last night at an engagement party. I am really enjoying the slower pace and rest this weekend is bringing. I hope wherever you are you are enjoying your weekend, especially those on the East Coast of Australia who get the extra long one like me.

sister to sister

My little sister is the best. Her name is Sophie, she's 20 and she rocks! You may notice my new blog header which she designed for me. She drew all the images herself. What a clever cookie. Hope you guys like it. It certainly brightens up my page! Sophie has recently started her own online business selling cards, stationery and other goodies with designs she has drawn herself. Check out her etsy shop here.

Photo by my big brother bear Sam. Don't worry Samson, you'll get a post soon too!