I woke up 30 this morning, It was hard to ignore particularly because my husband woke me up at 12.00am to tell me so (he is sweet but a little too enthusiastic about the whole deal if you ask me!). In some ways I feel so very old and then in other insecure, notoriously socially awkward ways I feel like I am still 15 years old.

I still get that face, so does my daughter. Is grumpiness genetic do you think?

I wonder what she is thinking?

Probably something cheeky, I still get this face too. As does my daughter. They call that karma.

It’s so weird looking at old photos of yourself. Someone you know so well but somehow you can’t reach them. If I could, I would tell her that she is perfectly good enough just the way she is, and that everything would work out just fine. Let’s just fast forward those angsty years shall we? Or not. The older I get the more I believe that everything is working out just how it is supposed to, even if it doesn’t make sense right now.

I’m grateful to be here, grateful for 30 years. Hopeful for 30 more!

It’s at these milestone birthdays that we start bargaining with our time left here on earth. If you give me another 30 years I promise to stop eating cold Watties tin spaghetti for breakfast and use the treadmill more… or something like that.

FYI I like to milk my birthday’s for all they are worth. At least a week’s worth of attention will do.

My birthday started like this..

I am an absolute fool for flowers, I just can’t get enough of them. Whether they come in gorgeous fancy arrangements like this one did (thank you my darling Vanessa), or fresh from my own garden, they are like gold to me. And I have the disgusting habit of holding on to them way past stinky…

I’m not really the ‘party animal’ type. Sure, I do like to get my tipsy on occasionally, but waking up with a hangover (or worse) is not my ideal birthday treat. I’ll save my sloshpants for YOUR birthday! Instead I like to head away with a few of my favourite peeps and just laze about & eat my weight in fine foods. If you don’t come back 5 kilos heavier then you are doing it wrong imo :P

So we rented a beach house in the teeny little ‘Town of Seaside’ on the Sunny Coast. Seriously, it is like the set of Desperate Housewives , immaculately manicured patches of suburban perfection, it’s very easy to forget your troubles there! I felt like a right tool taking a photograph of the public toilet, and I’m sure the perfectly manicured residents were horrified by my uncouth behaviour but come on, look at it! I would happily live in there!

The house we actually rented wasn’t too shabby either!

It was large & well proportioned, with every mod con you could ever desire & that fancy grass that you just want to roll around in!

This was my favourite part of the whole house. The perfect chair to read a book, catch the morning sun and listen to the sounds of the ocean. Only common decency and my husband stopped me from squishing that chair into our car & taking it home.

We spent some time frolicking!

and eating…. ok, that was mainly me doing the eating, but it’s MY birthday and I will gain 10 kilos if I want to! :P

That is such a craptacular photo of the Gelati, but have you ever tried to take a picture of gelati with your glasses getting misty with excitement as you fight the natural urge to lick the cabinet? I guess not. This multi award winning creamy confection was at Colin James fine foods  Maleny. Did you know they have a whole room for cheese there? I would love to hide in there like some sneaky over sized mouse and just nibble my days away…

Of course I couldn’t resist stopping into Rosetta Books

Where I proceeded to buy half the store, or at least that is what you would think if you had heard the slight groaning sound my husband made when we were at the cash register. Personally, I think I was quite restrained (don’t make me pull the birthday card again!).

I popped in to see lovely Ann at Quiltopia Design , where I got to fondle all of the pretty fabrics in person for once & pick up a few pretties that I ‘needed’..

She gave me this cute little tape measure shaped like a rubber ducky for my birthday and it tickles me no end. There is a five year old trapped inside of this 30 year old body just dying to come out and play I swear!

Sadly, like all good things, my perfect little holiday had to come to an end. Of course I was sad but also eager to get home to greet my new sewing love child…

and celebrate my proper birthday, today!

With some tasty treats from a couple of crazy friends who were super duper awesome enough to indulge my love of peanut butter confectionery… I almost fainted when I saw this! I can see myself getting rather fattyboomtastic this year/week. Thank you my lovelies for being so thoughtful and hilarious. I can just imagine the two of you conjuring up this!

And some pretty gifts that had been taunting me to open them all week. I literally squealed with delight when I saw the unmistakable packaging from Pip Studio . “Happy products for Happy People” -hey that’s me!!

This pretty porcelain is absolutely DIVINE and I feel incredibly blessed to be given such a beautiful gift. Straight to the top of this strange crockery hierarchy I have going in this house! I get seriously annoyed when someone has the audacity to use MY favourite plate/cup. Hell will have no fury like yours truly if anyone dares to touch these babies!

So if you were wondering what else I was planning to do with my special day, skydiving or swinging from some chandelier perhaps?

Nope. In truly Bridget Jonesesque style I am  climbing back into bed with Jane Austin & some Reece’s pieces to laze the day away until I meet my darling for lunch. Even at 30 I am SUCH a NERD! :P

P.S. It looks like 30 is definitely going to be the age of the photoshop! ;0 )

xxLL