Wednesday, August 17, 2011

20 SB BLog Swap #9 with a guest blog from Hazel Loves Design!

I have just finished speaking to my sister in Christchurch, where she is currently in bed with the snow building up outside, it is about two feet deep at the moment. Here in Melbourne it is only raining, so I should be grateful!

But I swear I am really, really looking forward to the summer. So while you lucky folk in the northern hemisphere are basking in the sun reflecting on the summer that has been we are dreaming of the summer to come.

Hello folks, I'm Hazel and I am visiting from Hazel Loves Design today Ruthy and I are swapping blogs and each sharing a piece on 'Summer'. So that brings me to today's post, it doesn't matter what part of the world you live in, whether you are gay or straight, single or married we all need to know about summer living essentials.

I have compiled my top ten favourite things to create a summer filled with fun and frivolity!

1. SUMMER FASHION; Let's be honest, who doesn't love loosing the countless the layers, the massive coats and slipping into a sexy summer dress and a pair of thongs! The best thing about summer dresses is that they come in all shapes and sizes, from the long and draping maxi dress, to the tight and short, (sometimes super short) body con dresses!

But they have one common denominator... COLOUR!!! I'm currently wearing head to toe black, and have been for months, I can't wait for December to come and I can pop on some colour.

2. GORGEOUS WEDGES; I love wearing thongs in the summer, when I was living in the warmer climate of the Gold Coast I had a pair in every colour!! But this year I am loving the trend of wedges, so I can't wait to rock out with a pair of wedges and a gorgeous pedicure...

3. A FRENCH PEDICURE; Slightly extravagant in this tough economic climate, but worth absolutely every penny! There is something about slipping on a pair of thongs (or this year wedges) with a gorgeous pedicure... LUST!
French Pedicure
I'm not one to wear a lot of makeup so for me dressing in something gorgeous is like putting on a face full of make up for other women. It makes me feel confident with myself. And you know what they say about confidence, if you feel confident, other people see it radiating from you and automatically are drawn to you.

Isn't that what summer is all about, dreaming about meeting the unknown, having lavish amounts of fun and feeling confident and gorgeous whilst doing so.

Now I know I'm writing on a blog about dating, but here is one small problem, I've been in a monogamous relationship since I was nineteen, I'm now twenty-seven and happily married. So I'm slightly out of touch with the dating scene.

But there is something I have learnt since I've grown older. You won't find the man of your dreams by searching for him, one day he will materialise out of no where!! So you need to look after YOU, make YOU feel beautiful, intelligent and worthy.

For the longest time I thought summer was all about THE TAN, it has taken me years of burning my skin trying to tan, to learn that my 'Princess Skin' (read white as a vampire) just won't tan so I have learnt to accept my pale skin.

This realisation has completely changed summer for me, instead of spending hours in tanning salons and applying the fake tan, I now appreciate the other parts of summer. And spend a lot more on sunscreen lotion!

It is amazing the small things you find as you grow older. Which is where I come to my next two favourite things..

4. ROAST DINNER SLOW COOKED ON THE WEBER; Oh. My. I must be getting old, when a recipe out of Jamie Oliver has me dripping saliva on my top more than an all nighter at the local clubs!!
Weber BBQ
But there is something about the smell of a roast cooking over the hot coals while watching the sun set red plains of the outback that screams summer to me.

I also love the way the males especially the alpha males flock to the cooking on these occasions.

**Note for the single, aim for the guy with an ability to cook!!**

So surround yourself with friends, laughter and a bucket load of my next favourite thing...

5. THE MOJITO; Any flavour of mojito from the humble basic mojito through to any of the latest flavours to come about, my recent favourite is the raspberry mojito.. YUMMY! I don't drink a lot these days, so definitely quality over quantity for me!

So that will be me this summer, we will be renting a beach house with our nearest and dearest, enjoying evenings of great food and great company. Creating the memories of tomorrow.

I hope that your summer has been full of these and I hope that you've managed to meet some lovely friends along the journey. Who knows one of these friends may end up being tomorrows Romeo... one can only hope!!

Enjoy the rest of your summer... and think of me, for I'll be unpacking my summer wardrobe shortly!!

:) Hazel

Friday, August 5, 2011

Makin' Up and Breakin' Up and the Monkey in the Middle

When we are younger it seems so normal to take sides.  Letting people cut in line, or adversely, refusing to save their spot in line, so when they get back they have to go all they way to the end. Then in high school it’s all about cliques and the latest gossip.  It seems like life is a revolving door of who is in the group and who is out.  Then, with time, we get a little bit more mature.  Our circle of friends broadens and then narrows, leaving many closer, more significant relationships. Then our more significant friends meet other people, fall in love, and our circle once again starts to grow.  Two guys who have been friends for years start seeing two girls and those two girls become best friends.  Everyone is happy.  Double dating is a breeze.  And then a horrible thing happens- someone breaks up.  Gone are the fun days of dinner and drinks, here to stay are the endless nights of consoling one’s friend and the “he said/she said” scenario of doom.  

Maybe he did go out with his friends until 4am every day of the week and maybe she did once stand over his (what she thought) sleeping body with a knife in one hand and a cocktail in the other, but all you really care about is keeping relationships with both these people you’ve come to love.  You don’t like them because of the way they liked each other, you like them because of the way they made you feel.  You know that they both kicked each others’ hearts in the ass, however, you’re not in the judging department.   In fact, we make a point not to judge our friends too much. As long as they are essentially good people and not psychopaths- we would like to keep our friends because it isn’t always easy to make more.   

Let’s face it- most marriages end in divorce and most people will break up.  Life is very stressful.  Money, career, and children are only a few things that add to a couple’s breaking point.  Add some deceit in there and a little emotional unavailability and you’ve got a great formula for someone’s relationship to dissolve.  As friends it is our job to be the shoulder they cry on, however, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.  How many times has a couple broken up and you’ve heard yourself say, “but they seemed so happy!”

I used to think that not taking a stand for one side or the other meant that I was supporting all the things that were negative, but then I realized that nobody is perfect.  I concentrate on who that person is and think about the things that they have done for me.  Did they come visit me?  Did they remember my birthday?  Were they there for me when I needed someone to talk to?  Are they trying to bring everyone into their relationship drama or do they actually need someone to talk to?  There will always be drama, but is that person maintaining respect or are they airing out their former partner’s dirty laundry for everyone to see?  I start to consider those two people as just that, two separate people .

Break-ups are messy.  That’s why they are called break-ups and not put-togethers.  After a certain age, we don’t want to make our friends go all the way to the back of the line anymore because I think we know that one day it could be us, and we don’t want to be at the end of the line either.