When Yes means NO!

How often do you say "Yes" when you really mean "NO"?

I'm very guilty of being a "Yes Person" on more than one occasion & it's not something I'm proud of. But I believe we all do it now and again, Right?
Why do we say "Yes!"? Are we afraid of displeasing or disappointing others? Because we hate confrontation or a challenge? I can only answer these for myself & the answer really is YES!

What about those situation when someone puts you on the spot? When your mouth says "Yes" and your screaming "No" on the inside. This happens to me all the time, I've got to learn to stop and think before I speak.

So my plan is to say "No" when I mean "No" and say "Yes" when I mean "Yes". It's easier said than done, I'm not to good at breaking old habits! Wish me luck...

Daily Good Deed!

Answer me this:

Q: How does the owner of a small laundromat drive a Jaguar?

My washing machine is old, slow and always unbalanced. Instead of constantly wrestling with it when trying to do 1 load of washing, I've been finding it easier to go down the laundromat once a week, it takes about 90mins and all washing is washed and dried.

While I was at the laundromat this week the owner arrived, not a talkative man at all, he was in & out before I could say BOO! However what I did notice was the dryer he used. There is 8 dryers total & 7 of those dryers were empty, 3 were out of order. That leaves 4 free working dryers to use. I found it strange at first that the dryer he used was the only occupied dryer, He remover the dried clothes, placed them on the table and put his washing in. But then it hit me, Dryer No.2 is not a hungry money eating evil dryer and he knows this!!!! What other reason could there possibly be?

 

My problem is the dryers? Those evil money eating dryers usually take about $3 of my money and don't give me any drying time. =o(

A:  I know $3 isn't much, But if you add up how many time's it happens a week/month/year it would add up to a very nice sum. $$$$$$$. (Maths has never been my strong point). Maybe not enough to afford a Jaguar, but still I'm sure it would help right?

So I done my good deed to let people know which dryers are hungry money eaters. That's right! My daily good deed is done & it was as easy as sticking a note to an dryer.

Being an Aunty

I {heart} being an Aunty!

Little Miss Kieley! At 14 months old she is a cheeky, sneaky, adorable Little Miss with a big smile. As soon as that cheeky smile or one of her many goofy facial expressions is on her face it is hard not to laugh.(Even if she is up to no good).

Reasons why I love it so much:

No.10
I can buy her all the unnecessary toys a kid could want!

No.9
I can spoil her rotten!

No.8
Aunties are COOL! Well I know mine are. Only aunties can hug like a mother, keep secrets like a sister and share love like a friend

No.7
My niece is the most beautiful cheeky "Little Miss" in the whole wide world!(Modest much?)

No.6
I get to be a big kid! (We all love being a kid now and again)

No.5
It's my duty to teach her bad habits like picking her nose!

No.4
Watching endless cartoons without people thinking I'm "immature"! =o)

No.3
Did I mention I have the most adorable niece in the whole wide world?

No.2
CUDDLES! Enough said!

No.1
I can give her back at the end of the day.... Not that I would ever want to!

So to T.J & Dee, You guys made an amazing little girl, you are both brilliant parents and Kieley is a very lucky Little Miss! I can't wait to be an aunty again! *hint hint*

Little Letters to Myself

I love the concept to this blog, the miscellaneous ramblings of a 30(ish) y.o chick in [bris]Vegas. Her "ramblings" have meaning, they make you think, feel & smile. The words used are simple & short, but strung together make something beautiful.

A few of my favorite so far are:

"One day you will have to grieve again, but remember grief is like a tunnel- there is an end. Some days will be dark, but at the end there is always light.....The ice has to melt, flowers will bloom again, and it will hurt a little less each day.

These are things you won't let anyone else tell you when it happens....remember you've survived it before. And remember to read this :)"

"As your Daddy gets older and needs to rely on you more, don't EVER get frustrated with him.  Just enjoy every second of having him around :-) "

Please click on her link at the top of the page and check out this blog! It will surely put a smile on your face.

Dani xx

Wish I Was Here...

the paradise island of bali...

                                                                    ...that is all

Lazy Days



Location: Bali Safari Park
Lazy Tiger!



I like the word "indolence." It makes my laziness seem classy.

We all have days like this, days we don't want to worry about the outside world, days we can't be bothered going out in the cold. It could be a day lazing on a beach, or not even getting out of bed. I think this would be a good time to share my tips to a perfect lazy day.

Cute Pyjamas- There is nothing more comfortable than your cutest pair of PJ's. My favorite attire for a lazy day is my over sized pink PJ pants(an elephant could fit its legs in them), and my favorite fleecy hoody. If the plan is to be in your PJ's all day they have to be comfy.

Perfect Place- You don't want to spend your lazy day in a room or a place you don't enjoy being. It's could be the beach, your bedroom, on the couch or in your own backyard. If it is a nice day & the sun is shining, I like to spend most my day sitting on my veranda, in the sun reading a book I can't put down. But on those terrible cold & grey days there is nothing better than on the couch, heater on and snuggled up in my favorite blanket.

Entertainment- Maybe you like to sleep all day, maybe not. Favorite books, movies & activities are ideal on your lazy day. Reading & TV is usually my entertainment of choice. Grabbing a good book or reading some of my favorite blogs, with either Glee or the Big Bang Theory playing on the T.V.

Treats- Remember all those guilty pleasures you have, well your lazy day is the day you can get away with them, without feeling any guilt! Make your self a hot chocolate and fill it with marshmallows, raid the lolly jar you pushed to the back of the cupboard, eat ice-cream out of the tub and order take out from your favorite restaurant!

Spoil your self- There is many ways to spoil your self. A bubble bath, Face-mask, Light all those candles or find a spot of grass and soak up the sunshine. Just remember it is a day about you & you have to do what ever it takes to keep a smile on your face!

Those are some of my tips for an Amazing lazy day.

Dani xx

"Miss X"

I heard from someone tonight, An old friend I had lost contact with and haven't spoken to in a few years. It was strange, but a good strange. It was also difficult, difficult for me to get my words together so they would make sense. For the sake of it we will call her "Miss X", Some people deserve their privacy.

"Miss X" and I were very close friends for a few years, and she was one of the people who made a huge impact on my life. We went through alot together, good times and very bad times, but we always came out the other side, sometimes a little worse for wear.

Young and dumb, isn't that what they say? Well that was us, we made mistakes, alot of them! Sometimes we made mistakes towards one another, sometimes we made them in general. The thing is that in the long run we were always there for each other, always forgave.

If it wasn't for "Miss X" I know for a fact I wouldn't be the person I am today. She taught me so stand up for my self, not to let people use me as a door mat & alot of other things. Two huge events in my life she was there, one we shared and one she was just there to offer advice. I'm not really up to the point yet where I want to talk about these "said" events, but I'll surely link back to this post when I do.

Anyway the conversation was awkward and nerve wrecking. It wasn't the typical situation you would expect from 2 people who haven't spoken in about 4+ years. The friendship didn't end on the best of terms, but I guess I'm just hoping in time we can fix just some of it. We are both very different than we were back then, we have grown, changed and learnt from our mistakes. I hope a closer proximity can start to mend the broken bridges.

Changing plans...

Location: Inverloch Caves, Wonthaggi Mine, Inverloch Beach

The "Old Fart" called me last night, with an offer I could not possibly knock back. As he is the biggest worry-wart on earth (maybe in the entire Galaxy), he has offered to pay for my car to get transported over to WA by truck. ...WOW... Offers like this don't come around everyday.


So what did I think about this? Well I'm grateful, very! As much as the idea of this road trip has been exciting, I have to sit back and look at the big picture. I need to get to Mandurah and put the wheels in motion ASAP! So yes, I'm very excited, Thankful and just over the moon. The Nullarbor isn't going to vanish tomorrow =o)

Location: Mandurah foreshore

I don't like asking for help, more lately than ever before. I'm stubborn just like my Dad I guess, got to get it from somewhere. I also think I'm trying to prove something to my self, but I'm not to sure what that is just yet. All I can say is I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have such amazing parents.

So this is a big huge loving thank-you to my Dad!!

Mysterious Doors....

Have you ever entered through your mysterious door? What I mean by this is, Has life ever giving you a great oppotunity, but one you are also afraid of taking because you have no idea what will be on the other side, or what the consequences will be?

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls”

Location: Garlic Lane, Legian, Bali Feb 2011
Photo taken by Me!

My door has arrived, and I'd like to think my door looks something like the photo above. A simple, friendly looking door to the eye, But the tasks that need to be done to reach the door are complex. Do I try and scale the wall to get to the door quickly, risking hurting my self along the way? Or do I begin building my steps, even if it takes longer than I had hoped? 

Dani xx



I {heart} photos

Location: Perth Bell Tower Photo Point



I {heart} Photos.. taking them, sharing them & looking back at them. It's amazing how many memories a single photo can hold, the intense emotions that flood your entire body while looking at that "one special photo".



Location: Home after a terrible morning of rain



To me, photography is an art

 of observation.

It's about finding something

 interesting in an ordinary place...

I've found it has little to do

with the things you

 see and everything to do with

 the way you see them.

Location: Mandurah. This lucky fish got to swim away 

 

Photography is a way of feeling,

of touching, of loving.

What you have caught on film

is captured forever...

it remembers little things,

long after you have forgotten

everything.

Dani xx

GUILTY PLEASURES

• GUILTY PLEASURE:
• A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the "guilt" involved is simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt. ...
• 6 Guilty Pleasures
• Odd Socks-
• Elephants-
• Corny Love Songs-
• Glee-
• Blogs-
• Cadbury Flake Bites-
• What are your guilty pleasures?

• --------------------------------
• Dani xx

Amazing About Me ...

...page is now up and running, for a sneek peek inside my life.

It had been good to take my mind off the coming road trip to Mandurah, House hunting as well as the gruling task of job hunting. Not to mention the road trip from Inverloch to Sydney in September.(More about that in coming weeks)

Highlights of the day would be a delicious spinich and 4 cheeses sausage roll from Paul the Pieman Bakery in Inverloch. I highly recommend stopping in there for one if you are ever in the area. Also I tried out FatMumSlim's amazing slow cooker risotto recipe. Click Here to check it out. Exciting highlights hey?!?!

Dani xx

Operation Ocean Scapegoat?...

..."What is it?" I hear you ask. It is a life changing road trip, seachange & risk I'm willing to take to sort out my life!

I've started this blog to keep a record, as well as supply useful information about traveling from Victoria to WA by car. Yes, I know alot of people would be saying "Why drive?", "Fly you crazy girl!", but I need my car and the drive across the Nullarbor is something I've always wanted to do. We live in a beautiful sun kissed country, Why not check it all out at any chance we are given?!?


The plan so far (subject to change slightly) is to leave my iceburg of a home 2 hours S/E of Melbourne and try and get the first leg done and arrive in Adelaide on the same day/night. The plan so far goes something like this:

OPERATION:
Ocean Scapegoat

MISSION:
To sucsessfully drive from the Victorian
coast to the Western Australian coast.
WEAPON OF CHOICE:

VT COMMODORE
COMMENCE DATE:
TBA

DAY 1
Leaving 4am-5am
Home-Ballarat
260km= 3 hours driving time
Hours stop to visit Family.


Ballarat-Adelaide via Western Hwy and Dukes Hwy
615km= 8 hours
Arriving 7pm-8pm


Day 2
Spend some time around Adelaide
Adelaide-Port Augusta
308km= 4 hours


Day 3
Port Augusta-Ceduna
465km= 5 Hours
This is the start of the Nullarbor, Will be time to stock up on supplies and get a good nights rest before the long drive of nothingness that lays ahead.


Day 4
There is a few possibilities for this leg of the trip, But for the moment this one seems the friendly one! The Nullarbor is going to be a very boring, long drive.
Ceduna-Cocklebiddy
760km= 8 hours


Day 5
Cocklebiddy-Kalgoorlie
620km= 7 hours


Day 6
Kalgoorlie-Mandurah
660km= 8 hours
Destination Reached!


So I know this sounds long and so many people have said "I done it in 2 days", "3 days max" but this is MY trip & I want to take my time and enjoy it, plus I'll have plenty of useful information to share here with others wanting to do the trip.


Dani xx

The first post is..

..the hardest!

I've been creating this blog all day, and now that I finally have it up and running I thought it was the perfect time to click that "New Post" button..! I will be the first to admit I had NO IDEA how I was going to start this off. Hi, Hello, Welcome, G'day...?  

So here we are, I've clicked the dreaded "New Post" button and officially popped my blogging cherry. As doing so I believe now is the perfect time to tell a little about my self and the reasons for this blog. (Yes I do apologize in advance for the ramble that will happen below, I'll make it as basic as possible)

A good introduction to someone would usually be their name, so I'll go with that. The name my parents gave me on that wonderful day I came into this world, the day all their dreams came true and the day my Mum had to endure pain just to have a life time of happiness with her baby girl. On the 30th of November in 1987, the last day of Spring (sometimes wish she crossed her legs and waited a few more hours) and the night before Summer, I made my grand entrence into this strange world and began my life with the name Danielle.

Danielle is not the simple name many people believe it is. Mum had named me Danielle because she liked the name Dani, But it took close to 20 years before Dani stuck and people started using it. Dani was simple and easy unlike Danielle, The mispronounciation of my name always drove Mum crazy. I remember as a kid hearing her correct teachers/family/friends when they would pronounce my name Dan-yell. "Her name is Dan-E-L" mum would say emphasizing the importance of the E and L, "Not Dani-Yell" she would finally finish with. I'd answer to any name as a kid, and I still do now as long as I think that I'm the one being spoken too.  

So please choose to call me what ever you like, Be it Dani, Dan, Danielle or anything to do with my lovely natural hair colour which is RED! But I'm guessing you may have already guessed that from the name of this blog. (May I add here that I've heard them all, If you think you have one I haven't heard I'd love to hear it and add it to my list)

Also I would love to recommend you check out FatMumSlim's Blog, as Chantelle's blog inspired me to start one of my own. Chantelle has a lovely e-book called Let's Give Them Something To Blog About, Very useful for inspiration when you don't know what to blog about.

I will leave you with this little bit about myself for now, and will be sure to share more in coming days, weeks & months.


Dani xx