What I'm Grateful for this Christmas | Blogmas Day 17

Hello lovelies! I know New Year's or Thanksgiving is traditionally the time when you reflect and think about what you're thankful for, but I think Christmas time is also the perfect time for this. Many of us are surrounded by so much love, joy and generosity at this time of the year, it's hard not to feel a little warm and fuzzy on the inside. 

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you what I'm grateful for this Christmas.

 I don't do this to show how much I have, but to humble myself and honour those around me, I think we often forget to stop and say THANK YOU!

 I also think that positivity isn't shared enough, we tend to take the little things for granted and forget to appreciate them. 

SO thats what were gonna do today. Yes I say we, not me. I want you to come up with a list of you own and post it on your own blog, or in the comments below or just on a piece of paper. Just let me know you've done it in the comments, and I'll be sure to read what you have to say if you put it online. xx 

One | Family

I love my family so much and I love that they are people who I can talk with. They are people that tell me if I'm being an idiot, or if I'm wrong, they will tell me when I've done good and they will always encourage me. They help me be a better version of my self and to be more patient. I couldn't of gone to England for six months if it weren't for their support and their encouragement to be brave. 

I love the way they love each other, their friends and the community, it's inspiring to watch and I do my best to follow their lead. My whole family works so hard, much harder than I, and it constantly humbles me and makes me realise how resiliant they all are. So to my family, you know who you are, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for teaching me how to be an adequate adult.

Two | Friends

I have a lot of friends that I don't get to see very often. Some are in England pouring pints, some are in Melbourne studying and some are in New Zealand for love and work. I then have a few friends that I get to see all the time, but regardless of where they are, these people are still my friends and I love that we were able to remain so, even through the distance. All my friends are quite different to each other, but all of them challenge me (and each other) to grow, be better and to chase our dreams. They are all people I want to know for my whole life and I love that distance doesn't matter. They are all so funny, kind, strong and intelligent, and I can't thank them enough for being my friend, and being in my life, even when I'm being moody or irritating. Love you all to the moon and back! 

Three | Generosity

I am thankful for the generosity of other people and that I have the resources to be generous. I love the generosity that comes at christmas time and how it can come in so many shapes and forms. It can be by giving a gift to a someone, or donating gifts/money. It can be donating your time to helping others, or it can just be by doing something kind for someone. I love that generosity comes from the heart and isn't exclusive to people with money. Generosity isn't measured by the size of your gesture but by how much you give from your heart. It's a bit hard to measure, but it's the best way to. So to everyone who has given from their heart this christmas, I want to say thank you, your kindness makes the world a better place. 

Four | Grace

I think that grace is something that is massively under appreciated. If you think about it, if there was no grace there would be no forgiveness. Grace is something that people don't deserve, but is given anyway. Often people talk about how life is unfair, but if life was fair then people wouldn't be gracious and forgiving. So I'm thankful for God sending down his only son, Jesus, so that he could die and we could be forgiven for all bad things we do. I'm thankful that through the grace of Jesus I can have an eternal life in heaven after I die, even though I don't deserve it. Thank you. 

Five | Christmas

I am grateful that this holiday exists and that the reasoning behind it is still alive today. I'm grateful that the story of Jesus spread and is still real. I love everything that christmas represents, from the birth of Jesus that brought hope, to the time spent with friends and family and to the generosity and sense of community that's spread throughout this time. I am thankful that so many people celebrate christmas and that it is so universal in its philosophy of love. I am thankful for the christmas movies, the food I get to enjoy and the presents that have been so thoughtfully given to me. Thank you Christmas for existing.

Also thank you to anyone who read this post, I know it's kinda long and even if you just skimmed through it, thank you for sorta reading haha. Please please please let me know what your thankful for, it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy seeing other people being positive! 

Hope you're enjoying December so far, only eight days to go! 

Lots of love, 

Rach xx 

First Swim Of The Summer

There’s nothing quite like the first swim of the summer, the excitement that it’s finally getting hot, the anticipation of what’s to come during summer and the slight feeling of apprehension at jumping into cold water.

Today I had my first swim of the summer. I went up to the local dam and after a few minutes of sunning up, we headed over to the jetty. 

Even though the day was like 27 degrees when we got to the end of the jetty I was that maybe this was a bad idea. But it was my bad idea, so before anyone else could talk me out of it I jumped.The water was cold, but surprisingly pleasant and after a lot of goading and encouragement I was joined by my friends. The rest of the afternoon was filled with tanning, swimming and great banter. Not such a bad idea after all. 

This is what I love the most about  summer. During the year everyone is so busy that it gets hard to hang out with your friends and just do something fun like go swimming and just chill. I love sneaking in a swim after work, having an impromptu bbq or going jet skiing. 

I don’t know if summer is my favourite season, but it’s defiantly my favourite time of the year, and now that I’ve had that first swim, I feel like it has finally begun. 

My macaron obsession continues x

A little tradition my mum and I have is to buy the christmas edition of the Donna Hay magazine, I immediately flip to the dessert section and mum loves looking for meal ideas. Anyway this years christmas edition had a really easy chocolate macaron recipe, and I couldn't resist making some Macarons. They were super easy to make and taste ridiculously good, the little bit of salt on top really perfects the flavour. Once they were ready I put them in a pretty jar next to our vase of peonies (aren't peonies the best!!).
I can't believe that Christmas is next Friday!Let me know what little baking traditions do you have. xx

The four photo editing apps you need in your life! x

L O N D O N

We all have our photo editing apps, and I think we always wonder what everyone else uses, so I'm gonna share mine with you. I currently have four photo editing apps downloaded and ready for use, but I only really use two.  SO here are the four apps I use! x

N I C E

1| My absolute favourite is VSCO Cam, I use this all the time and find it so easy to use, plus it's free! I mainly use the filters C1, F2, G3 and M5, obviously depending on my photo and the look I'm going for. You can the change the intensity of the filter and make even more adjustments to things like the exposure and contrast. Or you can edit your pic from scratch and forgo using one of the pre made filters. 

2| The one I use second most is Looksee, this is also a free app, but you can buy filter packages made by various creators for like $1.49 or so. I love Lauryn Evart's (AKA The Skinny Confidential) filter package, it's really subtle and just adds a nice glow or shine to your photos. The free ones are pretty cool too and there is defiantly a good range of the free ones if you don't want to spend any money. 

3| Whitagram is a really handy app. It's great for resizing photos, giving them a border and all those neat little tricks. I don't really use this one often, I mainly go to it when a photo won't fit on insta, but it's useful to have, and it is also free (I like free apps). 

4| I'm sure you've never heard of this app, it's called Afterlight, only the hipsters know about it (lol). This one is usually 99c but apparently it is now free through the Apple Store App, you can then purchase additional packages. I don't really use Afterlight very much anymore. It used to be my go to app, but then I got VSCO Cam, but it's still really good, even if I only really use it as a backup these days. 

B R I G H T O N

Most of my photos are either taken with my little digital canon or my iPhone 5S, but I always edit my photos on my phone as it's easy and creates pretty images. 

What apps do you use? xx

F O R T | W I L L I A M 

More Easy Christmas Hearts! ♥︎ | Blogmas Day 12!!!

Okay, so remember like a week ago I showed you how to make christmassy hearts? Well I got creative and made dark choc and milk chic versions for all the white chocolate haters. Then I saw a pic of cake pops and thought, omg these would look amazing on skewers! Just imagine these on a dessert table at a party, wouldn't they look adorable? 

Anyway so for the dark choc ones I put blueberries and sliced almonds in the middle.

And for the milk chocolate ones i filled them with red currents, but you can put in them whatever tickles your fancy! Then after like half an hour I took them out of the freezer, they were soft, but still hard enough to hold their shape. I then skewered them, but don't put the skewer too far in cause they tend to start to break. Then put them back in the freezer, or eat them then hah.

I think raspberries would be amaze in like the milk chocolate ones, raspberry and chocolate is such a perfect combo, like I think only Nutella and strawberries can beat it! 

Hope this post inspired you a little, I had loads of fun making and sharing these with you! 

Love ya! xx 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas | Blogmas Day Eleven

Aren't I clever and original, using the lyrics of a popular christmas song as my blog title. 

Today's post is a little different to my usual ones, today I'm just gonna chat to you about my week. It hasn't been a particularly busy week but I'm really starting to feel 2016 approaching fast.

I dunno there have just been a couple of little things that make me think, where the Heck did 2015 go? Like who took 2015, I want it back! sorta lol. 

So this week I put up my Christmas Tree. I love my decorations but my tree is kinda small and quite old, so he looks a little sparse in the leaf department, but I pulled him out anyway. 

It was also the last of a few things for the year, like my small group. We had a bbq at the gorge (where most of the photos were taken) which was so much fun. We had perfect weather and some of us played soccer. I've got a narly as bruise on my foot from the game. It was really funny cause when playing my bro was all like 'oh man up' and then I showed him the bruise today and he was all like 'oh shit, you weren't exaggerating,' and I'm like 'I know right!'

It was also the last week at the youth group I help out at, so for it we had a pretty rad water fight, played some t-bal and ate some sausages and cake (although not at the same time)

I've also started looking at university classes for next year, enrolment is so confusing guys, I think this is where they actually weed out who isn't equipped for uni haha. I'm doing a bachelor or arts and a bachelor of business starting next year and it will take four years. There are so many interesting sounding classes I'm not sure what to take haha. 

This is completely off topic as well, but like three of our neighbours goats, like got into our garden so I had to shepherd them real awkwardly into our paddock (they'll find their way home from there), I think I made some new friends. Like they legit seemed to like me. So that's my random story for the week haha...

Anything weird happen to you this week? Any strange goat situations or severely bruised feet? I can't be the only one to experience this this week haha lol!! Quick question, who has more swag, the goats, the peacock or us? (don't wanna sound arrogant, but I'm really kinda proud of my check bones in this photo haha lol) Love ya! xx

DIY Gift Idea- Festive Truffles ✔️ | Blogmas Day Ten

Hey lovelies! Who has all their Christmas shopping done? I haven't, but whatev's it'll happen haha. As I'm sure all of you know a money saving way of giving gifts is baking something cute. The other week I showed you how to make cute christmas hearts, well this week I thought I'd show you how to style a truffles in a festive way. 

So the truffles I made are from Butterscotch Truffles and the recipe is from the 2015 christmas edition of Donna Hay's magazine. Mine may not look quite as perfect as hers but they still taste pretty damn good. Like ridiculously good. 

Okay so when giving little treats like these jars are ideal so you can see what's inside. I chose a rounded jam jar. It's not too big, but big enough to fit 4-5 balls. I also filled the jar with some red currents to add a pop of colour and give it a christmassy feel. It looks super cute with a label tied around the lid. I chose black chalkboard labels  which I picked up from shiploads for like a dollar. If you want to bring the truffles to a party they look amazing in a triangular shape with red currents and leaves placed around and on the truffles. 

Let me know what DIY gift you like to give below! xx 

How To Not Netflix Your Way Through The Holidays | Blogmas Day Nine

Speaking as someone who is currently finishing their second gap year (don't worry I'm starting uni next year!), I'm used to having a lot of free time. 

Many of you will be starting holidays soon, or already have and are wondering what you'll do to fill your time. 

I urge you to not fill it with netflix. It's addictive and often prevents creativity and stops you from being a motivated person. I know I have wasted many a hour on netflix and I always like myself better when I'm not watching tv all day.

Let's put it this way, after binge watching a tv series I never feel accomplish. I normally feel slightly guilty and weirdly tired. So here are some suggestions on how to avoid sitting and watching TV all day. 

Set an alarm

I know it's tempting to make your bed your best friend, but try not to sleep in to eleven. If your not a morning person I suggest setting your alarm for 8:30 or 9am.

Read

Reading is great for when you're feeling lazy. It is much more engaging than tv and you'll feel much more accomplished when you finish a book than when you finish a series. 

Make Social Plans 

Get out of the house! Make plans with your friends to go for a walk, go shopping or grab a coffee, just anything that is social and requires you to leave the house. I'm sure some of your friends will be looking for an excuse to get out as well! 

Start a creative project

This could be art, blogging, writing, craft or baking. It doesn't have to be a big project, just something to keep you occupied during the day. 

Exercise

I have a gym membership and I do use it, but I also like to go for walks. Be creative with how you exercise, mix it up and have fun. Take a class or go for a hike with some mates. Do something you will be motivated to achieve.

Set specific TV times

I like to try and make it so I can't watch tv until at least five O'clock or after dinner, depending on the day. This means that I only watch tv when I'm genuinely tired and have already had a productive day. I'm not time wasting and it's not stopping me from doing other things. 

Learn a new skill

Is there something you've wanted to learn how to do for a while but have been to busy to do so? Well now's your chance, go and do it! You won't regret it, I promise! 

Travel

You don't even need much money to travel around. If you can afford it, go to another county that has captured your heart. If your on a budget, road trip somewhere, I promise you there is somewhere nearby you haven't been to before. There are so many places in Tasmania only a couple of hours away that look amazing and yet I've never been to them. Explore the world, you don't have to go far to do it!

I suppose, when it comes down to it, there is just so many cooler more memorable things to do with your free time. There is a time and place for it, just try not to make it your whole day and you'll be happier for it.

The key is just to keep busy and enjoy yourself, use this time wisely and make memories.

 Tell me in the comments what you like to do to keep busy during the holidays. xx

Cranberry & Lime Mocktails | Blogmas Day Eight

Don't you hate it when you see a really nice sounding and pretty looking mocktail, but half the ingredients are really obscure or your local just doesn't stock the flavours you need? I know I do. I swear it happens all the time when I'm scrolling through blogs. I love the creativity of bloggers but Australia seems to have less of a range than the USA and UK. So I decided to create a Mocktail with ingredients your are guarantied to be able to get, and it doesn't require any blending!

Here's what you'll need for one serve:

➳ 2 Tbs of Lime Cordial (like the good stuff you put in lemon lime bitters)

➳ Cranberry Juice 

➳ Lemonade

➳ Three Strawberries

➳ One Lemon Slice

➳ A handful of Ice

All you gotta do is:

➳ Dice two of your strawberries and cut the third for garnishing. 

➳ Put your ice and diced strawberries in your glass (I used a mason jar cause it looks so pretty!) 

➳ Add the lime cordial

➳ Fill the glass halfway with cranberry juice

➳ Fill the glass the rest of the way with lemonade

➳ Garnish with your strawberry and lemon slice 

➳ Add a cute straw, give it a little stir and voila! 

It's quite sweet, but that's how I like it! xx 

How's your December going? I can't believe we're already one week in! I started my Christmas shopping today, I usually leave it to like the last week, but hopefully I'll have most of it done by the end of the week. HAHA lol! I'll let you know how that goes.

Have a good week! xx

Music I'm loving at the moment | Blogmas Day Seven

I have a confession to make- I'm not really a huge fan of Christmas music, I don't mind it in small doses like at a carols night or something but other than that I'd rather not. So if you're like me and your looking for something to listen to other than 'O'Holy Night' (beautiful song though) then here is what I'm listening to this December. These songs aren't necessarily new and you've probably heard them, but they're all pretty rad. 

 Just click on the artists name to go to the youtube music video. 

➸ The Love Within - Bloc Party

➸ Parklife - Blur 

➸ The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie - Red Hot Chili Peppers

➸ Factory of Faith - Red Hot Chili Peppers 

(In fact just listen to their I'm With You album)

➸ Ain't No Body (loves me better) [feat. Jasmine Thompson) - Felix Jaehn

➸ Lean On (feat M.Ø & DJ Snake) - Major Lazer

➸ Summer - Vance Joy

➸ Oblivion - Grimes 

➸ Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - Tame Impala

➸ Death Is a Girl - Mini Mansions

Shout out to my bro Michael O'Neill for getting many of these cool tunes stuck in my head. 

Enjoy listening to these rad tunes, and let me know if you have any recommendations in the comments 

Make sure to follow me on twitter and Instagram xx 

➳ Rad Gift Ideas for Her (under $50!) | Blogmas Day 6

I think it's impossible to do Blogmas without at least one Gift Idea Post, and thats what I'm doing today. These gift ideas are for your friends, sister, girlfriend or that girl you don't really know but you got her in Secret Santa and now you have to buy her a gift. This post is in collaboration with Julie from Cuteiinstagram and she's doing a post on gift ideas for your mum, so be sure to check her post out after this, and if you came here from her post, welcome!

All these gifts are under $50.00 and can be purchased online.

Let's get into it! xx

Ecoya Sweet Fruits and Pink Champagne |

$39.95 for a big one or $19.95 for a small one.

Whenever I see this candle in shops I just have to smell it. It's sweet and fruity but not overwhelming and everything from the packaging to the candle itself it beautiful and christmassy. It also has a scent in Fresh Pine Needles, which is also quite a nice scent. I personally prefer the more floral scents but the pine candle smells fresh and homey. 

You can get them here

Too Faced Le Petit Tresor from Mecca | $43

I think these lipsticks are super cute and the shades are really practical. I would wear these all the time as they would go with so many different looks for different occasions. Also you get a cute bag! The shades that are included are Nude Beach, Taffy, Wham!

You can get it here 

Forever New Misty Set of 3 Body Spray's | $24.99

I love little gifts like these, they're just so damn handy. I ALWAYS forget to put on perfume before I leave the house and these are great for that cause they fit perfectly in your handbag. The scents are Mixed Berry, Grapefruit and Vanilla, I particularly like grapefruit, but the other scents makes this gift awesome, especially if you don't know what scents your friend likes. Also they're pretty.

You can get them here

Kikki K 365 Days Peach: Be Brave | $29.95

With 2016 fast approaching I'm sure we can all think of one friend who will be wanting a diary for next year. If not I'm sure we all have one friend who desperately needs a diary next year, even if they won't admit it haha. This one from Kikki K is so pretty and simple and the perfect size for a handbag. It also comes in a beautiful blue colour with the same gold lettering. 

You can get it here

Sportsgirl Top it up Pineapple | $29.95

I don't know about you but my friends are always complaining about their phones running low on battery. One of these super cute portable chargers will allow them to keep scrolling through insta, snap chatting and checking Facebook to their hearts content throughout the day without the worry of a dead phone. The pineapple is also ideal. 

You can get it here

Happy Shopping!

Sweet & Summer Smoothie Bowl | Blogmas Day 5

The last couple of days have been so nice and warm! Summer is finally officially here and although I haven't actually had a winter since last August I'm keen for an Australian Summer and all that goes with it. For someone who doesn't like eggs, toast or cereal smoothies and smoothie bowls are a great breakfast option. Generally I stick to one or two basic smoothies and make slight variations to it depending what it is the fridge on the day. But with all the summer fruits coming into season and the red currents in my garden finally ripening, I couldn't help but get a little creative. Here is the result! 

Blend

➳ 1/2 a Mango

➳ 1 Nectarine 

➳ A big handful of Raspberries 

➳ 1/3 a cup of Water

➳ 1 tbs of Greek Yogurt

Top With

➳ 1/4 of a Pomegranate 

➳ A handful of Red Currents 

➳ 1/2 a Banana 

➳ A sprinkle of Chia Seeds

Enjoy! xx

Vintage Inspo For Your Christmas Table | Blogmas Day Four

Something you don't know about me is what I actually do for a living. I am a waitress at a function centre but I also do the sets for the events such as weddings and other special occasions. I don't wanna brag but I'm pretty good at setting the table. You kinda get used to it when you set the table for a couple of hundred every week. I've also seen lot's and lot's of table decor designs, and I like to think that I've developed a pretty good sense of how to decorate a table. SO I thought I would show you how to set the table for Christmas. As you can see from my pictures I used a lacy table cloth, leaves, mason jars with candles and red and brown bonbons. 

This creates a really simple and vintage look. I think the most beautiful table sets are the ones that are understated and elegant. You don't need the table to be over crowded. Just a few well placed elements can really perfect a table. 

Some of you may be wondering why it's important to make the table look nice. I believe it's important because it helps to create atmosphere and makes the meal all the more special.

Some of you may be wondering why it's important to make the table look nice. I believe it's important because it helps to create atmosphere and makes the meal all the more special. It shows that thought, care and love have been put into this gathering and that their guests are valued. It is a way for the hosts to honour their guest and create amazing memories. 

I can't wait to make this Christmas special for my family and hopefully this has helped you make this year extra special for your's! xx