Everything we talked about in 2015

On the first day of the holidays I woke up at 6am. Since then I've settled into a nice pattern of sleeping in, trying out new recipes, catching up on movies and going for bike rides with Tony. Hope you're having an excellent break. Today I'm sharing some of my favourite posts this year.

Things to make and eat:

• Three rainy day pastas
• My favourite choc chip cookies (with salt!)
• An excellent supermarket dessert
• Wendy's classic cheesecake
• Individual chocolate fondants with peanut butter
• Plus two 2015 finds - a one-pot drunken pasta bake and chocolate and cream cookies

Fun things to read, hear and watch:

• Miranda July's first novel
• The Wind Rises - Miyazaki's final feature length film
• Greta Gerwig's new movie
• A top-notch new podcast
• This adventure blog
• A new favourite magazine

So many style tips from Real Girl Wardrobes:

• Irini shares how to wear (almost) anything
• Rebecca on dressing a bump and packing for a year on the road
• Adele's effortless street style
• Halla on dressing like a character from a Wes Anderson film
• Sophie the time-traveller who loves to make an effort

Some thoughts on everyday life:

• Small ways to spend less (with excellent tips from you too!)
• Do your exercise? Four people share their weekly routines
• Taking six months off
• A cool way to get things done
• Staying on top of things
• The spare loaf

Important things aunts should know about:

• The best present for a two-year-old (it's still going strong!)
• A father's sweet photography project
• Wedding gifts for our littlest guests
• Alison's gorgeous family photos

Creative life according to these talented and busy folk:

• Gracie is an illustrator based in Japan with the best Instagram account
• Natalija on creating short-term, joyful projects (like amazing dog portraits!)
• Rachel and Kath are busy mums and melahomies
• Kate is studying to be a nutritionist and keeps a yummy wholefoods blog
• Jennifer crafts life-like flowers out of paper
• Soon is a chef who is making waves in Wagga Wagga

2015 was a big one for personal milestones too :)

• Our first wedding anniversary
• The Archibald Prize
• Leaving town
• Life in our new city

And just in case that's not enough, all of my weekend links from 2015 are here. Catch you in the new year!

Pics by me, Peppermint Studios, Rebecca Keane and Natalija Brunovs.

Christmas links

I'm so excited for Christmas, are you? I have one more day of work and then a quiet Christmas at home with Tony. We're planning to have a picnic brunch, make our dinner from this early Christmas gift and pick up some special gelato for dessert. Here are a few fun links for your Christmas food coma ;)

What to pack for a day in the sun.

The best last-minute Christmas dessert.

Fete goes digital.

My kind of heatwave dinner.

Drake on cake.

A graphic novel reading list if you're just starting out.

On my wish-list - a visit to the Grayson Perry exhibition in Sydney.

There's a new edition of Salad Days, an excellent zine from Wagga Wagga.

And Token, a new podcast that I'm keen to check out via Tim.

It's been a huge year with lots of travel, some big news for Tony, a new job for me and a new city too. Thank you so much for hanging out with me here, for reading, for leaving me comments and sending treats too! Over summer I'll be sharing some of my favourite posts from this year. I'll have fun new things to share in mid-January. Have a wonderful break, catch you in 2016 x

Flower by Papetal.

A holiday packing tip

Are you going anywhere fun for Christmas? Here's the simplest thing that keeps me organised when I'm travelling - a bunch of drawstring bags.

Earlier this year my friend Vanessa sent me a really thoughtful homemade gift - two drawstring bags for packing pairs of shoes. They come with me on every trip and to work too if I'm cycling and carrying work clothes. I have one or two others that I use to keep things separate, mainly small things like underwear and socks, or anything that could get tangled.

One year I made Tony a giant drawstring bag for laundry when he was on an artist residency and away from home. It's so big that we share it when we're away - it even came to New York with us. We used the New York wash and fold service and our clothes would come back squashed into a cube!

I bought my cute cat's pyjamas bag is from Mozi and I also have a great waterproof one that came with a  Lululemon bag my sister gave me (it's so good for gym clothes). They're also simple to make and some shops will use them in place of plastic bags.

Finally - a silly list I started on my phone of the important things I forgot to pack to consult before my next trip: an umbrella, deodorant (!), face cream, a laundry bag, hair product, water, mini tissues and a warm jacket.

P.S - Don't forget to check the weather forecast :)

Weekend links + a little note

How are you travelling this week? Lately my mind has been buzzing with all the things I want to achieve both at work and home, and then I received some really sad news. This week my friend Erina passed away suddenly.

Erina was funny and loud and thoughtful too. When we worked together she showed me all of the best places to get lunch and later encouraged me to move to Wagga Wagga when a great job came up. She used to try and patronise the cafes in her neighbourhood equally so they would all still exist. I will miss her dearly.

When I found out that she was in hospital, things snapped into focus immediately. It was a painful reminder to be kind to yourself and others, always. Have a good weekend, have a relaxing weekend and if you can, don't sweat the small stuff.

The joy of missing out :)

A fascinating archive of photos deemed too hard to keep.

A new way to receive parcels. Tried it this week and now I'm obsessed!

The easy summer dessert I make every year.

Have you seen Away From Her? I just finished reading the short story that inspired the screenplay.

The quickest dinner.

And my favourite Christmas gift guide.

Photo by Sophie Joyce.

Real Girl Wardrobes - Irini Jordan

My friend Irini is generous, stylish and has a knack for putting people at ease. She spends her days at a media agency in Sydney, where she's the head of production and lately she's been busy setting up her new home. Today the 30-year-old she shares some of the daring ensembles she's worn to work, the one thing she'll never wear, and her trick for looking great in photos.

Life lately

Today I thought I'd share a few photos of our new home, and a little update of what has been happening since we moved from Wagga Wagga to Canberra.

It's nearly two weeks since we moved and things are beginning to settle down. Now it feels more like we're living in a functioning home and it's really lovely. Also - no more trips to IKEA for now - yay!

We love our new place, it feels much cosier than our last home and it's right by an amazing bakery and the lake too. Things that immediately made it feel like home - putting down my watermelon doormat, setting up my plants on the balconies (there are two giant ones!) and baking my first loaf of bread.

I'm still learning names at work and my way around town but things are starting to feel less daunting and more manageable. New things I'm loving - cycling around the city with Tony (especially if we're riding to gelato), checking out new cafes and markets, and working in an office with a weekly bake off.

I set a goal to ride to work within my first fortnight and did it today. It's about an eight kilometre ride each way, or slightly longer if you're still memorising the route :) And I know I'm missing my Wagga Wagga friends because whenever we discover something new and great, I make a mental note for when they come to visit.

Weekend links

Did you have a good week? We've been settling in and celebrating small things like making dinner at home and finishing the work week somewhere new. There are so many events on this weekend and we've picked two - this twilight market and a barbecue festival! Catch you next week:

How to fake clean your house.

Life according to Bill Murray.

Very cute Christmas cupcakes.

26 things you should do for yourself every year via Jo.

We just bought our very first Christmas tree!

Miranda July is speaking in Sydney in this great looking festival.

This couple lived in Airbnb apartments for a year.

And if you liked baking for Annabel Crabb, my friend Kristy gets a mention in the latest Chat10Looks3 podcast and Lee Tran Lam has just her Annabel Crabb interview too :)

My christmas wish list

I really enjoy Christmas shopping, it's like a sport to me and I'm usually done by November. The hardest part is not buying people extra presents, especially as the shops and markets become more festive. Today, a handful of things I'd love to receive, beginning with this small plant stand, to kick start my indoor plant situation.

A subscription to Lunch Lady, a beautiful and fun new food quarterly. It's Australian too :)

This pretty and practical toiletries pouch for weekends away and camping trips - one day.

A new fragrance because I've been wearing the same one since I was 18!

A really good book because we're spending Christmas in Canberra.

And just for fun, a waterproof radio, for uninterrupted morning listening.

Baking for Annabel Crabb

My friend Kristy and I are big fans of Annabel Crabb, the political commentator, writer and host of Kitchen Cabinet. A few weeks ago Kristy went along to an event for Annabel's first cookbook in Perth and baked her something that made her Twitter-famous - Helen Garner gingerbread, or Helen Garnerbread.