Introducing: Akela

I thought my introducing posts were done and then this happened – meet Akela:

One Wednesday evening I drove to Burra and picked up this little bundle of fluff – he’s been in our lives for about two weeks and already he has made a huge dent in our lives! He’s also trying really hard to put a dent in our house! He’s fairly shy but once he gets to know you he has quite a strong and demanding personality. Here’s what you really need to know:

• His mother was a white shepherd and his father was long haired so he’s very fluffy and will probably have a true long coat.
• He weighs a little over 10kgs and he’s only about 10 weeks old.
• He is named after the head wolf in The Jungle Book – being the kind of people we are we have taken the Disney pronunciation rather than the one used in scouts.
• His nickname is Oops as in ‘oops, I just bought another German Shepherd’
• He suffers from separation anxiety and cries whenever I leave the room.
• He's a typical little puppy and has to get his teeth into everything!
• He's already wholeheartedly stolen my heart!

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10 things that have made me happy this week

source 

If you read Wednesday's post then you know just how busy this past week has been! But the busy has, overall, been very positive and I've been doing a lot of lovely things. Of course having a brand new puppy hasn't made anything easier! Oh well, that's the way of life - here's what's been making me smile this week:

1. My new hair colour being almost exactly what I wanted - I was expecting it to take at least a couple of appointments to get it right.
2. Seeing Bad Moms with the lovely Julia.
3. How well Sam and Akela are getting on - love those pups.
4. Going to the Fisherman's Wharf Markets and the football with my dear old dad. 
5. My students reaction to my new hair colour - 'you look like Anna from Frozen, Miss'
6. Akela sleeping in until 7.30 on Tuesday morning.
7. Finally being able to wear my mustard yellow duffel coat without it clashing with my hair (much)
8. Watching Akela play - he's managed to coerce Jack into a game and he's made an awful mess playing in his water bowl, so messy but had me laughing!
9. Finding the time to sit down and actually finish a hot cup of tea.
10. The first signs of spring - trees are bursting into blossoms on the side of the road, it's glorious! 

*** Happy sharing inspired by Rosie ***

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Life lately: Extremely busy!

Pretty flowers always brighten the day!

These last few weeks have been crazy, I feel like I haven’t stopped running and I desperately need a little down time! Now, don’t get me wrong many of the things that have kept me busy have been good things – catching up with my best, Julia; going to the football with my dad, but they haven’t really been relaxing! In amongst these good things have been a lot of hard work. I’ve been busy helping Mark’s father sort and pack things before he moves house, trying to clean, reorganise and puppy proof my house (mostly to fit a few extra bits of furniture in) AND to top it all off I’ve been called into work this week. I can’t remember when I last had a hot cup of tea let alone a hot breakfast, I’ve been existing off of only a few hours of broken sleep and my to do list is growing faster than I can cross stuff off and it doesn’t look like it’s letting up anytime soon! On the plus side once it’s all come together I’m going to have lots to share – I’ve got some pretty exciting projects on the go – watch this space!

Tea and apple + cinnamon porridge - Winning combo that I'm certainly missing!

Watching: The cat slowly start to warm up to the new puppy
Reading: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Listening to: Soothing music by The Corrs (one of my absolute favourites)
Cooking: Roasted sweet potato and bean quesadillas 
Feeling: Tired but optimistic
Planning: My next few weekends - they are already looking jam packed!
Loving: My very large furry family

Enjoying: Cuddles with Akela

Brunch with Julia and her family last week - yum!

10 things that have made me happy this week

The last couple of weeks have been a combination of busy, happy and a little bit stressful. I've had very little sleep over the last few days and feel like given half a chance I'd be able to sleep for a week! However, for once, my sleepless nights are due to an exciting little development... That face above! So since listing him 10 times is probably a cheat here's what's been making me happy:

1. Akela - yes, that little German Shepherd puppy that I can't stop talking about! He's captured my heart already.
2. Catching up with one of my best friends last weekend for her birthday brunch.
3. Some lovely sunny days - no, not today but we did have some signs of spring earlier this week!
4. Sorting and rearranging things in my room - turns out I have a floor after all.
5. A very good friend's sweet messages about Akela despite the fact she doesn't like dogs - I'm so very grateful for this unconditional support!
6. New music by Green Day (ok, so that was the end of last week but it's too good to leave out)
7. The way Mark pushed me to contact the people selling the puppies even though our place is far from ready for a puppy - he knew how much I love shepherds and just how perfect these ones were (long haired cross white) and pushed to get one despite the inconvenience it's going to cause him. He even messaged the people himself to make sure we didn't miss out while I was umming and ahing. It might be the sweetest thing I've experienced!
8. Finally getting my hands on a cookbook I've wanted for ages.  
9. Listening to some old favourites in the car on the way to and from Burra on Wednesday. 
10. Finishing books - it's just so satisfying crossing another one off of my list.

*** Happy sharing inspired by Rosie ***

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Wishlist: Decor

Rabbit // Umbrella stand // Marble cushion // Vase // Spotted cushions // Rug // Bowl // Sign

Can you tell I'm getting really excited about home decor lately? Those that know me IRL know that up until late last year I lived in my own home before circumstances changed and I had to move out into a rental. The house I owned was liveable but not pretty so I spent a lot of time stripping things back and repainting or fixing things up and I really miss it! I did't realise just how hard it was going to be to move back into a rental and have to live with all it's issues. Because I can't (read: it would be a waste of time and money) repaint or gut the bathroom and start again I am focusing that time into figuring out exactly how I want things to look. This involves trawling through websites for decor inspiration and ideas: enter wish lists. Here's a few of my latest finds from House & Garden and Kmart (click the links under the photo to shop the items).

Lets take a second to talk about Kmart - it has a negative reputation as being cheap and nasty but wow do they have some good stuff at the moment! Yes, they are cheap but I have to say the things I have purchased from them have been the same quality as stores with much higher price points - colour me impressed! All in all, I'm not at all ashamed of my current love of Kmart! (for the record: This is not sponsored, just passing on how I feel)

I'll quit rambling on now - I think the theme amongst this little collection is self evident without me having to point it out. I like what I like! What do you think? Does marble and pink have a place in your decor?

Introducing: Fox Mulder

This is Mulder:

Welcome to the last of my 'introducing' posts! Whew, it's been quite a ride... I've enjoyed doing this coverage on my little furry family so much I might still do the occasional update and maybe even the story of Jacks transition from four to three legs... see how I go! But for today we have the baby of the family: Fox Mulder. I had a hard time picking photos of Mulder for this post, he's such a little poser that I had far too many! Here's the vital stats on this little man:

• He might be the smallest of the bunnies but he has the biggest personality - he's always getting into mischief and he's the only one who stands up to the cat without fail.
• He is quite the little house keeper and periodically rearranges all the hay in their box, he also rearranges the blankets on the couch and whatever jumper or jacket I happen to be wearing.
• Just like Daisy, Mulder is a 'faulty' lop, in his case he has one ear fully lopped and the other not at all - I call it his radar ear.
• Mulder and Scully have a very strong pair bond - they are inseparable and rely on each other completely. They can often be seen grooming each other and sleep side by side.
• Mulder is really clever and has an adventurous spirit, he is never content to sit still and likes to explore the house. He even figured out how to climb the set of shelves where I use to keep the pet supplies (as evident in the photos!) 
• Mulder is a very happy bunny and binkys regularly, he is clearly the most outgoing and flamboyant of the lot of them!

^ The reason the pet supplies are now kept in an enclosed cupboard! 

^ The little vandal got into the pellets - for reference I don't use these cheap pellets regularly they are just a stop gap when I'm waiting for an order of Oxbow (or similar)