Wedding Dress Envy

Sofia Vergara wed ridiculously good looking werewolf / male stripper Joe Manganiello over the weekend in possibly one of the most-Instagrammed-by-a-bride celebrity weddings of all time. Colombian glamour-puss Sofia encased her curves in a white lace gown designed by Zuhair Murad (the brief was "sexy", which I think we can all safely agree was achieved).

 Vergara quickly changed from Princess Bride to Slinky Bride as she removed her detachable tulle skirt (FABULOUS!), to reveal the slim line, all-lace affair below.

I have mentioned in a previous post drooling over a Zuhair Murad gown that I had originally hoped to do something similar with my own wedding dress, but decided against it when the rather significant cost was quoted (I was a frugal bride!). While I still totally adore my wedding dress, when I look at the spectacular Sofia I am so glad to see what I had envisaged materialise so majestically. Who could achieve that but the daughter of a French lace distributor or a woman who cares not what she spends on her wedding dress? I think she looked utterly radiant, totally beautiful and madly in love. Just the way every bride should look.

To ease the sting of any wedding dress envy I may have had, it was my 2nd wedding anniversary yesterday and a chance to reflect on the real reason for a wedding. Don't get me wrong, the dress is important, but the person you marry is where it's at. Every day I feel grateful for the man I married. He is so kind, so considerate, so loving, so supportive, so dashing-in-a-suit and he makes me laugh. And that's really what it's all about.

I had the slim dress below the tulle - just not all that lace, and the tulle didn't detach. 

French lace... So divine

Happy days, big love

Weddings really are the best - especially your own. It remains the best day of my life. There is something very beautiful about being married. I highly recommend it.

Sofia's wedding pics courtesy of her Instagram account. My wedding pics courtesy of the extraordinarily talented and excellent Todd Hunter-McGaw. See more here.

As Another New High Street Store Opens in the Queen Street Mall...

An angel loses its wings. Or, more accurately, the joy of being overseas and snapping up bargains at international Zara, H&M and Uniqlo stores loses its lustre.

Of course it is fabulous for all Brisbanites who enjoy shopping that these stores have spread their wings to the Sunshine State, but a tiny part of me knows that I will rarely set foot in these shopping meccas - driven away by the teams of squealing teens and the racks of now utterly unappealing mass-manufactured clothes shoved onto cheap plastic coat hangers.

Then again. That brave, indefatigable consumer in me rises up and whispers ... "But you need new shoes". See you at Zara.

You can always count on Zara for the staples.

Happy Friday: May Your Days Be Merry

6 weeks to Christmas. Egads! But might as well milk it at the Christmas parties... AmIright??

Finally - Banana Bread That's Not Cake

Not that we don't just love our cake, of course...

After my lifestyle retreat - which was fabulous (more on that later) - I really did notice the difference after removing sugar, alcohol and - yes, GASP - caffeine from my diet as well as adding a LOT more vegetables than this little meat-eater would ordinarily eat.  While I already eat pretty well, and try to limit my consumption of nasties (except the daily coffee ritual and my ongoing love affair with champagne), I certainly do look at recipes in a different light. 

I love to cook, and I tend to avoid highly-sugared meals anyway, but it's hard to have your friends over for brunch without loading them up with sugar. So here are some lovely options for you to consider that won't undo all the hard work you did at yoga the night before... ;o)

Healthy Banana Bread

This one is great any time of day, best served warm with lashings of tahini or coconut yoghurt. 

Ingredients 
4 ripe bananas 
¼ cup coconut oil, melted 
¼ cup almond milk 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 tablespoon rice malt syrup 
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg 
½ cup quinoa flakes 
½ cup coconut flour 
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder 
½ teaspoon Himalayan rock salt 
1 tablespoons chia seeds 
½ cup walnuts, chopped. 

Method
Pre-heat oven to 165°C. 
Mash three of the bananas with a fork, add wet ingredients, stir to combine, then add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly, making sure mixture is moist.
Spoon mixture into a lightly greased mini loaf tin. Slice fourth banana lengthways and press into the top of the mixture, brush with coconut oil and bake for approximately one hour, until brown on the outside and slightly moist in the middle. 
Serve with a lashing of butter, tahini, coconut oil or coconut yoghurt.

Easy Peasy Vegan Bircher Muesli

• 5 pitted Medjool dates, finely chopped
• 2 cups (190g) quinoa flakes
• 1/2 cup (50g) LSA meal
• 1/2 cup (35g) shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup (80g) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1/2 cup (75g) slivered or chopped pistachios, plus extra to serve
• 1 tsp each ground cinnamon, ground cardamom and ground ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Juice of 1 orange (I left this out)
• 3 cups (750ml) good-quality sugar-free almond milk (I replaced with coconut water)
• 1 large green apple, grated, plus extra grated to serve
• Thinly sliced seedless green grapes and flaked coconut, to serve

Soak the dates in 1/2 cup boiling water in a bowl until needed. For everything else (bar the grapes and pistachios), you know the drill: mix everything together and soak overnight. Serve the bircher topped with grapes, flaked coconut and pistachios or simply just with seasonal fruits, honey (if you need it) and Greek yoghurt. Note - you can basically add whatever nuts you want to this - I throw in whatever I have in the cupboard. You can also substitute quinoa flakes for rolled oats. Play with quantities as much as you like.

Happy Friday: The Silly Season Takes Off

Judging by today's mini-hangover, I think it's safe to say the silly season has kicked off.

With a calendar bursting with commitments and a bunch of friends coming back from overseas for a visit in the next few months, I am feeling pretty happy about the advent of summer right now. Happy Friday! And if it's your birthday week - happy birthday! xo

Every now and again, my 30+ year old head disagrees with this statement

Photoshop-Palooza

To maintain her sanity, the woman of variable self-esteem should remind herself of the word "Photoshop" any time her gaze rests upon the impeccable beauty gracing the cover or advertising pages of most magazines. That's a given.

Sometimes though, photoshop or timelapse videos can be used for more intriguing purposes. This week there have been a few rock-solid examples of the informative power of photoshop. Elle UK has used photoshop as part of its #MoreWomen campaign to create the video below, illustrating the deficit of women in positions of real power around the globe.

Emma Watson looks damn lonely at the UN all by herself... As well as pointing out the gaps in representation, the campaign also aims to show that successful women are not one-off individuals: "Our new initiative #morewomen, will celebrate the global power of women's collectives in a playful, engaging way. Smart, successful women are too often portrayed as one-offs: fierce individualists concerned with their own success" Elle's campaign page reads.

"The story of how women in positions of strength continually support and empower each other is consistently ignored while the myth that we pit ourselves against each other perpetuates. We want to change this narrative in our feminism issue and create a more positive conversation – to reflect the power of women, and to support and grow each other as we push for global equality."

On a less serious note, an Instagram artist known as SaintHoax has created videos indicating the level of alteration the Kardashian women seem to have undergone to become the gorgeous, seemingly-flawless creatures they are. Saint Hoax, using the tag #pumpingupthekardashians has created time-lapse videos which show the progression of Kim, Khloe and Kylie Jenner from the time they entered the reality TV spotlight until now. It's an important reminder for us mere mortals that photoshopping, surgery and a whole lotta make-up and professional style advice goes into the visage of effortless perfection that is trotted out daily by gossip and fashion mags and which at times can become a tad unbearable for those feeling less-than-perfect as these images are beamed on to us while we sit at traffic lights, read news/fashion websites, turn on the TV or simply go grocery shopping. 

Please note, this is not to say I don't still think the Kardashians are a beautiful bunch - they surely are. It's just important to remember their beauty has been enhanced in ways those of us with boring 9-5 jobs and tonnes of commitments and bills to pay simply cannot attain for ourselves. 

Shock and Dismay

Today Australia lost one of its great thinkers and an exceptionally talented writer.

I've been reading Sam de Brito as long as I can remember - his columns have long been one of my favourite time idlers. He has always been able to articulate with great ease and sensitivity many of the great challenges we face as humans, as a society and as elements of a vast ecosystem. Sam was a vegan. He was a father. He was a lover of women and he seemed determined to ensure the respectful treatment of women through his witty, acerbic All Men Are Liars column. He railed against injustice, and he provided insights into history, philosophy and the human condition that my mind could barely have skimmed towards in normal life. I always felt richer for his writing.

Some of his most memorable pieces for me were the ones he wrote about his friend's suicide, about the recent bullying of Adam Goodes, about what it means to be Australian, about how to be a good man, about political correctness, about his beloved Sydney and his passion for North Bondi Surf Club, and all those articles about the love he felt for his daughter.

I am deeply saddened to hear of his passing. The loss his daughter, former partner, friends and family feel is being felt widely (I heard the news via text from an equally shocked friend). Australia owes a huge debt to Sam for his work in changing and expanding minds. Vale Sam de Brito.