A weekend in the Blue Mountains.

On the weekend we drove up to the Blue Mountains to catch up with some family and check out a few of the local sites. To go from the beach to the mountains in a couple of hours is amazing. 

I love that we have all of these beautiful spots so close to Sydney. 

We arrived at Leura around lunchtime and popped into Leura Garage for a quick bite. The floral wall was stunning and the food was pretty good too ;)

We then drove to Echo Point and had a look at the Three Sisters. 

The view is breath taking. All that green!

Of course I had to take a photo of the 3 brothers and the 3 sisters!

 The streets of Leura are lovely and green with lots of interesting shops to browse and cute restaurants to pop into.

We had a browse in all of the shops in the main street of Leura and finished up in the lolly shop

Lots of lollies from our childhoods here!

It was a hot day in the mountains so we decided to head to The Fairmont Resort where we were staying for a swim to cool off. The resort is reminiscent of a country lodge and is really set up for families. They had an indoor and outdoor pool, 2 games rooms, tennis courts, a mini outdoor maze, train rides and movie nights.

Every Saturday afternoon they have a train ride that does a couple of laps of the carpark. 

The boys were happy with that although it would have been nice if they did a tour of the grounds as they are gorgeous and so big.

We decided for dinner in the buffet restaurant as it was quick with the kids. The food was really fresh and lovely and lots of local produce was used. The pumpkin soup was delish!

The dessert buffet was the perfect finishing touch.

After an after dinner run around in the games room we got the kids settled for bed. 

We were all in the same family room which had 2 double beds for us to share. They were so comfortable we all slept in until 9am the next morning. Thank you black out curtains!

After a leisurely breakfast (another fab buffet spread) we headed off for a bit more sight seeing and drove to Medlow Bath to the Hydro Majestic which has recently undergone a huge refurbishment.

We were having lunch in the Boiler House Cafe but as we were a little early it gave us a chance to have a look inside the main restaurant and Pavilion and a wander around the grounds. It was all stunning!

The fresh white really pops against the blue sky and green of the trees.

(Boiler House Cafe)

They also do an amazing High Tea in the most beautiful room overlooking the Megalong Valley. 

I will definitely be coming back to do this!

(Wintergarden - High Tea)

We had a great weekend in the Blue Mountains but of course there is so much more to see and do.

You tend to forget these amazing places so close to home. 

We will be back to do more soon!

Have you been up to the Blue Mountains recently?

Where do you stay? What are your favourite places to visit?

Home Improvements - a little refreshening.

I'm a little excited as we are doing a few improvements to our house. Simon and I bought the land over 10 years ago and built a Masterton house on the block. At the time we had stretched ourselves to the limit to buy the house so all our fittings and fixtures were what was in our budget. Not necessarily the things we loved. But now the time has come when we can afford to upgrade our space.

Exciting times!! I have been pouring over my old "Dream House" files and Pinterest and my taste hasn't changed over the last few years so I think I can feel confident in our choices.

One of the major changes to the house will be our flooring. Currently we have a cream tile and we are going for a huge change as we are going to have dark timber floors. I love the look of a dark floor and a white wall. Now, I know you are all going to tell me that they are a NIGHTMARE to keep clean but I won't listen ;) I want these floors and am prepared to vacuum twice a day if I have to! As we have to lay the boards on the tiles it will be a Bamboo floating floor in a strand woven bamboo. We have chosen the darkest chocolate colour although they call it Distressed Modern Black.

The floor is being delivered today but it won't be layed for a couple of weeks. So now I have this huge pile of timber in the living room. Oh well, it will all be worth it.

After the floors, we are repainting the walls. Kids, me moving furniture and decorating have left the walls looking a little tired. I am ready for some white freshness.

This painting with the floors is going to be a major change to the house. I really feel like it will give the whole space a lift and a newness. I'll share tomorrow with you what we are doing with the kitchen & bathrooms.

The top photo is from my Inspiration file and here are a few more:

Tell me what kind of floors do you have? Do you love them?

Simone xx

Top 2 images from my Pinterest page. Last 2 images via Megan Morton

A home renovation.

Late last year my inlaws sold their family home of 36 years and downscaled to a unit near the beach. It was a little sad thinking of someone else living there, as it was the scene of so many wonderful family memories. It was the main meeting place for birthdays, mother's day or just a Sunday lunch. Also as it's just around the corner from our  house we were there quite often. 

It was the end of an era. 

Or so we thought, as it turns out my inlaws ended up selling the house to family. Simon's brother Anthony and his wife Emma and their 2 girls bought it and turned it into their family home. 

Anthony and Emma did soooo much of the work themselves, all of the painting and Emma brought the house to life with her decorating touch. Here are some photos of their home. 

It is completely unrecognisable in comparison to when Simon's parents lived there. I love how they have put their own stamp on the place. Em has entered the main living room pic in the Home Beautiful "Most Beautiful Room" competition. If you could pop over to here and vote for it, they would so appreciate it :)

Also Emma has a way of making a party look extra pretty. On Sunday she held a tea party for her 2 girls, my nieces Malia & Lani. It was pink, pretty perfection!

Isn't she clever? Have you ever done a major home renovation?
Did you do most of the work yourself?


Simone xx


All images taken by Emma Duckworth


**update - link to vote is now working**

Living in jeans.

I'm living in jeans at the moment. 

They are my "go to" item in my closet. Easy to get around in with the kids and they go well with my collection of jumpers and scarves. My little uniform as such. 

Do you ever feel like you just get up and put on the same type of outfit again and again? I do until the time that I find a new favourite. 

I'm not back into my old jeans yet so I have been keeping my eye out for a good pair of jeans that I can wear. Something flattering and on trend so I don't feel too mumsy ;)

When I received an email from Jeanswest's pr team telling me about the new Coloured Curve Embracer jeans, I was quite interested as they sounded exactly what I was looking for. I asked for a pair to try and as soon as I popped them on I knew they were perfect for me. You know how with jeans you just know as soon as you put your first leg in? Or is that just me?!

The jeans were a great colour, I chose the Princess Royal Blue as they gave a nod to the coloured denim trend without being too out there. I also thought they would go with everything in my wardrobe. Although I also have my eye on the berry pair as well. I loved the higher waist which held my tummy in. They have a straight leg with lots of stretch so nothing was too clingy.If anything I could have went with a smaller size as they stretched a bit by the end of the day. I think they are quite reasonable in price too, so they are the perfect way to jump onto the coloured denim trend.They are available to buy online or in store.

What are you living in these days? How many pairs of jeans do you think you have in your wardrobe?

Simone xx

**Disclosure - Jeanswest did send me these jeans free of charge but I was under no obligation to write about them. I am only sharing this review with you as I really did love the jeans.**

Sorry there is not a better photo of the whole outfit, I only had Noah with me that day and he hasn't mastered the camera yet ;)
Also excuse my filthy pathway, I am going out to gurney it asap!

What caught my eye this week.....

This week has just flown by don't you think?! 

What caught my eye this week was:

This book cover caught my eye, I would love to have a look at it. I'm always up for new ideas for the boys rooms.

Napoleon's Luminous Lip Veil. So glossy and so many colours.

It's a good one to keep in your bag.

This patterned rug caught my eye at Freedom. Love the colours too.

I HAD to watch Lara Bingle's reality show. I wasn't expecting much but from the first episode she came across quite nice. 

Did you watch?

Nikki from Styling You's instagram pic of her flourless orange cake with a drizzle of chocolate. Yummo. A recipe I want to make. Nikki said she found her recipe on Taste.com.au but used Natvia instead of sugar and chocolate instead of syrup.

Paperbark Camp caught my eye again. I'm not a fan of camping but I could do glamping! Maybe something to think about for a couple of days preferably in the warmer weather in Spring.

I also saw this book on Instagram from myfabulousdesigns. 

Looks very cute!

Emily from The Beetle Shack caught my eye in her winter floral.

 I liked the dress so much I ordered it myself :)

Also this week while Simon was in Bali enjoying the sun and surf (!)he was also scouting a few places for a family holiday. He's thinking here. Doesn't it look dreamy, especially considering the rain we have had in Sydney this week.

Taken on Simon's iphone.

So how has your week been? What caught your eye?

Simone xx

Friday Fashion.

I'm loving both of these styles. They are as opposite as you could get, but I could definitely find room in my wardrobe for them! It must be my Gemini personality coming out ;)

Neutral

Bright

Which one do you prefer?

I also love the image below but I never would have thought to wear a dress in the colder weather. Do you?

Simone xx

all images via my Pinterest board

What caught my eye this week...

I'm starting a new series of posts which consist of a wrap up of everything that caught my eye during the week. 

Usually I rip out magazine pages, take screen shots and write down things on scraps of paper that get lost. This way I will have everything in one place and can share them with you :)

I was excited to hear that Table Tonic now has a bricks & mortar store in Avalon. I will definitely be popping up there next week.

image via Table Tonic

I also want to book into a class at Megan Morton's "The School" I think it would be fantastic to take some time out to be a bit crafty and make something pretty :)

image via Megan Morton instagram


I love this shelf for knick knacks from Ferm Living below.

I'm in love with this painting by Kristy Gammill. Definitely want something similar but large scale on a canvas. Can any of my arty bloggy friends do this?!

I must try and make it across the bridge to Koskela. Homewares and food is a perfect match don't you think.

Loving this simple mantra seen on Pinterest

I couldn't resist dressing my boys up today for my nieces christening. I love boys in this preppy style and Jasper in his bow tie, Noah in a vest and Finn in a tie was too cute for words!

What has caught your eye this week? I'd love to know!

Simone xx