Library

One of the things I love about where I live, is that there are libraries everywhere. I am such a sucker for reading and learning, that I am constantly borrowing and buying books (I buy a lot of books of bookdepository.com)

Anyway, My boyfriend lives 2 minutes walk away from a library. So we went there the other day and I got a lot of great books on topics I am interested in. The library is quite tiny, but so adorable, I love it! I expect to spend a lot more time there in the next few weeks. :) I can do more book reviews from some from there, so I am looking forward to that! 

When I was younger (year 6) I volunteered in the school library, and got a lot of experience doing that, then I moved schools (and countries!) and did it again in years 10, 11 and 12. Then I did it again for the 2 years after school! I love libraries, its where I go to relax and get away from it all. I love learning, so it's normal for me to want to just sit there and take notes out of books! 

I love trips to the library! Where do you like to go to relax and unwind?

Disappointment

Have you ever been so disappointed with something that you feel like everything is going to fall to pieces around you and nothing will be right again?
Dont worry, I feel it too. I felt it the other day. But trust me, it will get better!

I was looking for a long time for a new car. I searched online most nights and then I went and looked through a few dealers lots, never found anything I truly liked. Then one day, something came up online.
I called the place, and decided to go out and look at it/test drive it etc.
The problem was it was an hour and a half away from where I live. But i was determined! (and I really needed a car!) So I went out there, my mom came with me, and went searching for this car.
It was no where to be seen. It had disappeared (I checked online later, and it was still listed!) But, I decided to look around at the dealers there. Then I saw it. The perfect car for me! It was cheap, automatic, red and low mileage.
I talked to the dealer and said I would come back in the next few days and drive it. I went home and decided I would go the next day.

The next day rolled around and I called up the dealers. I mentioned my name and what I was looking at yesterday and he said he remembered me and that I could come out and test drive it that day at 4.
I carefully mentioned that I lived an hour and a half away, and that I would definitely buy it if the test drive went well, so I definitely needed a reason to go out all that way. He assured me it would be sitting there waiting for me.
4:00 rolled around and we (my boyfriend came with me this time) rocked up on the dot of it. I saw the car waiting there with the stickers off, waiting to be driven by me. I walked in the door and saw the guy with a couple obviously buying a car. Here's the conversation next:

Me: I'm here to test drive the Mazda 323 in the drive there.
Guy: Oh, so youre the guys we were waiting for.
Me: Yes, I'm Aimee Owl (I used my real name, obviously!)
Guy: I'm sorry. We just sold it to these guys.
Me: But I told the guy on the phone that I lived on the other side of town and wanted it.
Couple buying car: Next time put a deposit on it,
Tom: Lets go, Aimee
Guy: You wanna look at our other cars instead?
Me: No!

I left there in a hurry and then burst into tears. I was so hurt by people that I didnt know, didnt know me, and definitely werent ever going to care about me, but it still wasnt right.
I went home and started searching harder then ever. And I found one! Private seller this time, I have it outside my house as we speak. I test drove it yesterday and paid for it today!

My lesson learned: People will hurt you, you just have to try harder than ever to succeed and not get pushed down by people! (Oh, and I learnt that dealers are as worse as you see on TV. Idiots.)

Anyway, there was my little rant, I'm sure people have had good experiences buying cars from dealers, and if you have, let me know! And if you havent also let me know! I want to hear stories.
Thanks for reading!

Blog Links Week 1!

So, this is a post that has been in the making for a while. I needed a bit of time to get it all organized, but here it is!! I am going to be posting once a week whenever I get time. It is my favorite blogs of the week!

                                                                     1./2./3./4./5.


These are my favorite blogs at the moment! They are all so gorgeous and done by beautiful women! It's nice to know that everyone on the internet is not all mean, and that some people can be nice!

Bloglovin'!

I'm trying to suss out Bloglovin, and get it all sorted, so if something screws up for a sec, it should be fixed soon!
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4637949/?claim=bfjccrebwmh">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Any tips??

Work :)

Hey guys! I am busy trying to work out a LOT of things to make my blog look more professional. I am loving doing it by myself and allowing my mind to be stretched just that little bit further!! I am looking forward to having it all finished.
Just a warning, that if something doesnt look right at first, it will probably change in a few days! I am completely changing it all up.

Dont worry, I will still be posting lots of great stuff! Everyday, I do something for the blog, whether its writing posts in advance or working out the layout and the design side of things, I am always here! I check comments and read other peoples blogs everyday, so let me know if there is something you want to see/me to read.
:D

Thanks for being so understanding!

Playlist No. 2

Today's playlist is all just Australian female artists. I have been listening a lot to these artists recently, so I thought I would show you!


1. Everyone's Waiting- Missy Higgins

I have always been a fan of Missy Higgins, but her newer stuff seems to be so much better. I really love her style of singing and the acoustic-ness about her songs. This song is off her latest CD, which is absolutely brilliant!!

2. Holy Moses-Washington 

A little bit of a weird music video, but this song is so catchy, I always want to dance! And who doesnt love a song with a kazoo solo.


3. Gotcha- Jessica Mauboy

Weirdly, I couldnt find the music video for it, despite me watching it on YouTube (blogger couldnt find it!)
Anyway, this is a song from the movie, The Sapphires. I personally havent seen it, but this song has been played on Australian radios for a long, long time. Another really catchy one. She has a lot of others, but so far, this is my favorite.

4. Do It Like That - Ricki-Lee Coulter

I have a lot of respect for Ricki-Lee. She auditioned for Australian Idol in 2003, didnt get in, then came close to winning it in 2004. She dropped off the Australian music radar for several years, but has just recently risen to the top again. Unfortunately, her rise has come with the whole 'sex sells' motto, and thats not really what I look for in a good artist. I like people who are different in the industry, but oh well, this is her song Do It Like That, her most recent single. It's a cheerful, colorful video, just dont watch it too closely.

5. Dancing To The Same Song - Elen Levon 

I was expecting a little more from this video. She knows how to dance professionally! The song is cute and upbeat, but this song does not do her amazing voice justice. Great personality, I have seen her on interviews and things, but still a little disappointed with the overall song/video combination.


Well, there we are!! Today's 5 songs!
I hope you enjoy, and if there are any songs/books/videos/movies you want me to review or listen to, let me know in the comments!!!

Thanks for watching!

Blackberries!

It was finally a break in the hot weather yesterday. It was lovely. Still sunny, but with a nice cool change.
I decided to take advantage of it, and my boyfriend and I went blackberry picking!

In Adelaide, South Australia, there is a national park called Belair National Park. In Belair, blackberry bushes are considered a weed. There are thousands of bushes full of them!
Unfortunately for us, we went a little earlier then usual, so not many of the blackberrys were ripe yet. I plan to go back in a few weeks, and hopefully get some more!

We only saw one koala, usually we see at least 3 at Belair (We didnt go so far this time).

It really got me a chance to use my other lens, I mainly just use my smaller lens, but I still dont know what really I am doing with it!!

I then got home to find the newest members to my family:

Meet Patrick

And Camelot!

They've sort of taken a liking to Tom. Especially Cammy. They are both 10 weeks old, and we adopted them from the RSPCA. They were in the same cage, but no one knows if they are from the same litter. 

At the moment, they are not very stable on their feet, they cant land very well. 

Have a glorious day!

What Alice Forgot-Liane Moriarty

What Alice Forgot - Liane Moriarty

Blurb:

'When Alice Love surfaces from a strange, beautiful dream to find she's been injured in a gym, she knows that something is very wrong - she hates exercise. Alice's first concern is for her unborn baby, and she's desperate to see her husband, Nick, who she knows will be worried about her.

But Alice isn't pregnant. And Nick isn't worried - he is in the process of divorcing her. Alice has lost ten years of her life.

When Alice returns 'home', it is totally unrecognizable, as is the rest of her life. Why is her sister, Elisabeth, being so cold? Who is this 'Gina' that everyone is carefully trying not to mention? And what's all this talk about a giant lemon meringue pie?

Over the days that follow, small bubbles of the past slowly rise to the surface, and Alica is forced to confront uncomfortable truths. It turns out forgetting might be the most memorable thing that's ever happened to her.'

My review:

First thoughts: 
When I saw the front cover and read the blurb, I expected to like it. It was intriguing, the thought of losing ten years worth of memories from an accident at the gym. I have never read any other books from Liane Moriarty, so I was excited to start!

Final thoughts:
At first, when I had started reading it, I thought the main girl, Alice Love, would start annoying me. Luckily, she didnt end up being like. I definitely liked reading it, but not necessarily my favorite book. It took me a while to get used to the layout and the changing between characters.
In my opinion, there was a lot Moriarty could have cut during the story and expanded more on the ending, which was quickly rushed into the epilogue. Too much happened in the epilogue! I also think the main character should have learnt a bit more from her injury, but she didnt really.

Definitely worth a read, and it got me thinking, 'How would I accept my life if I woke up one day and it was 10 years ago?'

A Pretty Garden

I love photographing my in-laws garden. They have fruits and vegetables and flowers and herbs, its all so exciting!
Here are a few photos of the last time I was looking at it.

 I'm sure you'll see a lot of these over the course of this blog. I love it all! and the food tastes so much more amazing, since it's been home grown!!

Lots of love,

Sorry

Sorry, i havent been posting for the last few days! I will explain why in a minute, but I thought I will just say that I have a lot of things ready to go for the next week or so, I have a few outings that I am doing, so I am getting all ready for that. Preparation is key :)

Okay, the reason I havent been posting.

Like everyone else, I have good days and I have bad days. Unfortunately, sometimes the bad days turn into really bad days and I dont cope with much. To deal with this, my way is to turn off my computer, not go near anything that might cause negative feelings (my bank balance is a huge one for this) and just switch off for a couple of days. The last few days have been like that for me, so I have just gone for walks, read a lot, watched happy movies, and slept. 

I am now back online and ready for next time. I am working on getting more organized on here, so I will schedule a few things in advance so I dont backtrack. 

I hope you can all understand!!

Have a great day!

Playlist

I know, I know. I havent been on here in a few days. I havent really had much to update!

Originally,  I had decided to write a playlist every week, realising this is impossible for me, I have decided to just do one every now and then :) 

So here is my top 5 songs I am listening to at the moment (in no particular order):

1. On My Own -Les Miserables Soundtrack (Samantha Barks, 'Eponine')

As everyone, I saw the Les Mis movie this week. I loved it, but I specifically loved Samantha Barks version of 'On My Own'. Gorgeous voice, gorgeous girl! She played Eponine amazingly. 

2. Love Duet-Cirque Du Soleil's OVO

This whole soundtrack is brilliant, but this song really gets stuck in my head. It flows so well!

3. Love Is Easy-McFly

Have loved McFly from their very beginning. Huge fan, my favorite band in the world! I love this track, going back to their old style and I love it! Cute, catchy and not trying to be so dark. 

4. Downton Abbey Theme 

For those who arent aware, I am loving Downton Abbey right now. I have finished re-watching season 1, and am about to watch Season 2 again. I love the music in it, I am very tempted to get the soundtrack. Beautiful!

5. Like Me Real Hard -Mario

Re-listening to this whole album recently. Loving it!! Bit of old-school for today :D 

So there we are!! Enjoy! Any songs you would recommend, let me know in the comments!!! 

Day's 1-7/365

Week 1: January 1-7th.

 Day 1: First day really getting used to my new camera. Was awesome, so couldnt decide on my favorite photo!!!
Day 2: Cirque Du Soleil's Ovo. My boyfriend and I went to Cirque Du Soleil as one of my birthday presents. Totally blew me away! Both Tom and I loved the music, so we bought the CD. best investment!
Day 3: I had bought these lights 2 years ago, for my 18th birthday party, I found them the other day, so put them up. They look awesome, and a great addition to that corner.
Day 4: Busy day making stuff for the blog, and for my photography. Was nice to have time to do it all! Especially since it was 44 degrees outside!!
Day 5: Didnt do anything, apart from shopping, so seeing as this was the most exciting thing that happened during the day, here is my photo.
Day 6: Out of my group of 3 girlfriends, one was moving away, and the other was giving us exciting news! Sad, but happy day!
Day 7: I bought my mom season 1 of Downton Abbey for christmas. I knew she liked it, but mainly cause I wanted it! Oops :)

French Breakfast Muffins

I found this gorgeous tutorial for these muffins from the writer of Velvet Lava Cafe.

I slightly burnt them when I made it (oops, shouldnt have a shower when I have muffins in the oven!) 

I would recommend you read Ann's instructions (she does it so much better I can do!). They work, if you dont burn them! That's my review!! 

My family, enjoying my muffins straight from the oven!

I cant wait to try them again!

Have a great night!

DIY Canvas Shoes

About 6 months ago, I bought plain white canvas shoes. I was going to color them in to how I wanted them, but just never got the chance!!! 2 days ago, my Mom was cleaning out the cupboards when she discovered the good old Crayola fabric markers we got over 5 years ago. And they still work perfectly!!! It was great!!!

On one shoe, I went like a school child and just doodled and acted bored. But on the other shoe, I wrote down all the things that I like in this world (okay not all of them, just the ones I could think of at that time!!!
Lots of fun, and I'm so happy I found the fabric markers!! Definitely using them again!!!!

Have a great day!!

-Aimee Owl xx