some great advice

i saw this online this week and thought it was amazing! such good advice. i've saved it for later, perhaps for a relief society lesson or part of an activity... but i just think it's great! there are so many times in life that we'll be placed in situations that we don't want to be in, and these may just be the trick to pull ourselves out. ♥

wa day in fremantle

we spent the day in fremantle with some new friends today who recently moved to ellenbrook. we went from place to place with our five kids and had a great time! pictured above are the five of them, chilling on some local art, just seconds before some random "local photographer" came and started yelling at us to get them down... complaining that we should have obeyed the rules on the sign, which was a4 size and attached to the back, completely out of view. what a nong. needless to say we got them out of there pretty quickly after that.

we stopped off at my favourite shop... the pickled fairy - to start a new generation of little girls loving the place as much as i did! here they are, making wishes with one of the resident fairies ♥

lunch at cicerellos... as good as ever

made for some happy kids!

and of course, a trip to fremantle wouldn't be complete without a trip to the markets.

so. much. fun!

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on the way home, we quickly stopped in to see my grandfather joseph... he was one of the greatest people in my life and i love to tell my kids stories about him. i hope he will bear his name well and make him proud.  

a hot date to the mega barn

there's nothing better than a good trip to the mega barn with a friend... and today was no exception. i got some awesome stuff, including three pairs of heels, an amazing pair of jeans (took a chance on them that paid off, they had been run in - and after spending the better part of an hour unpicking it all, they fit like a glove) a gorgeous tutu skirt that i'm putting away for madeline's birthday and some other great stuff. 

for those who came in late... the good sammy's mega barn is located at: 33 bannister road canning vale, open from 10-4 monday - saturday. clothing is sold by the kilo and generally ends up being around 70c - $1 per piece. it has ruined me completely for going to other opshops, because it's so damn cheap! if you haven't been yet... get on it. 

jacob m is three (a paw patrol birthday!)

saturday found joseph and i in clackline in the cold and rain, partying it up at jacobs 3rd birthday! as per usual jen had thrown herself into it all head first and blew everyone away with her hand painted paw patrol background (which i believe was finished at 3am!) and perfectly themed food. she's a winner, that's for sure.

jacob loved his party and was so excited by everything.

jen and the birthday boy

the cake was amazing too, jen never disappoints... here she is with her masterpiece!

♥

it was a fabulous afternoon and we had a great time. thanks for having us jacob! 

the best banana bread

banana bread is one of my favourite things in the whole world and i have spent much of my married and baking life searching for the perfect recipe. 

i can't actually believe that it's taken me this long to post about it here... but last february while staying with my husbands sisters new in-laws in texas, i tasted what i thought was the ultimate banana bread! i asked for the recipe hoping desperately that it was home made and not store bought, which to my delight it was!

i've made it a few times since and it never disappoints! so for future reference... here is what i think is:

 the best banana bread

ingredients:

1 cup white sugar

113 grams soft butter

2 large eggs

3 ripe bananas

150g yoghurt (any flavour)

1 teaspoon ground cinammon

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bi-carb soda

1 teaspoon salt

method:

1. preheat oven to 180 deg celcius, grease and line two loaf pans

2. cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

3. in a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a fork. mix in yoghurt and cinnamon.

4. add banana mix to creamed mixture and stir until combined. 

5. add dry ingredients and mix until flour has disappeared

6. pour batter into pans and bake for approx. 45 mins, until skewer comes out clean

so, so yum! please try it!

adapted (changed slightly) and translated to australian temperatures and measurements from here.

memes from the royal wedding

(photo from time.com, absolutely not my pic... i didn't get an invite this time!)

congratulations to the happy couple, what an awesome wedding to watch, especially for my 6 yo daughter who loved every minute of watching a real prince getting married. although there was a lot of criticism surrounding her dress, i thought she looked gorgeous and very classy and her veil? amazing!

everyone that knows me, knows i love a good meme... and events like the royal wedding promise a multitude of giggles on facebook during and in the days after the event. here's a round up of my favourites... so have a laugh on me! 

side note... these are in no way meant to offend... i just think there are some amazingly clever and quickwitted people in this world and wanted to share for some giggles.

guess the dress: a relief society additional meeting

this week we had our additional meeting for may, our first (of hopefully many combined with the young women):

guess the dress

oh my word... it was a hoot! our activities committee collected 18 wedding dresses from sisters of all ages in our ward to be used in a catwalk show. our young women and recently married YA modelled them, and the rest of the sisters attending were given a list of whose they might be, to guess as we went along.

the ward young women president (one of my closest friends - made organising the evening a piece of cake!) and i introduced the evening with the following:

The focus of our evening is to mostly have some fun, and as we the older generation remember our wedding days, we also allow the YW to look forward to theirs. As you know, when you attend a fashion show, you receive a gift bag, so you’ll each find a gift bag on your chair with a few little items to help you through your day.

One of my favourite fashion bloggers: Corinne Stokoe is a member of our faith and gave a beautiful quote when interviewed for a piece a few months back. She said: “Modesty is important to me, not because I feel like I need to be a prude or even just because it was a part of my culture growing up. Modesty is something I choose because to me, it feels classy and timeless. I feel strongly that every time I dress modestly it means I’ll never have to look back on that photo and wish I had exemplified something different for my children, or grandchildren. It might not always be popular or put you at the best chance of succeeding in today’s world, but I choose modesty because it feels most genuinely true to who I really am, and who I’m trying to be, for my family and for my own self worth. Being a lady means to feel confident, classy and comfortable in whatever you choose to wear. Because I’m a lady I choose to dress modestly.”

As you know, we encourage the women of our church to dress modestly, and I couldn’t agree with that statement more. Modesty is not only about respect for your body and your appearance, it’s respect for yourself! I know each of the dresses we will see tonight are a wonderful example of modesty. 

In 2009 the YW general presidency added an 8th value, virtue. Virtue is behaviour showing high moral standards. In Proverbs 31:10 it says: Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. It also says in the 13th Article of Faith: if there is anything virtuous lovely or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. 

Temple marriage or marriage at ALL may not be a possibility for everyone, but it’s something we as members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive for. A marriage that lasts beyond this life, and remains for time - and all eternity. If we keep the Temple in our sights, we will achieve great things. A wise man once said, “keep your eyes on the prize and your mind on your goal.” Don’t wait for the right one, BE the right one. 

Thank you all for attending tonight, for the gorgeous girls who will walk down the aisle in our dresses and for you amazing women entrusting your precious memories to be worn by another.

sisters arrived,had a glass of “bubbles” and took a seat by the catwalk, each receiving a gift bag on their chair. (free printable for bag can be found here)

 

each sister also received a wedding favour as she left at the end of the evening, a bag with caramel fudge

after each round we had a reveal via a slideshow on a projector, with wedding photos of each sister, then refreshments (a grazing platter after round one 

and wedding cake after round two - we had our presidency cut the cake then handed it out). 

we also had someone throw a bouquet into the young women and single sisters.

we received one dress which the owner preferred wasn't worn, this was displayed on a mannequin, with a chance to guess the owner and year of her wedding.

it was honestly one of the best activities i’ve ever been to. it was a laugh a minute (especially as we discovered some of our young women had quite the dramatic streak) with memories galore. well worth the effort.