I must admit that I’ve never been crazy over the Gladiator or Fierce Shoe. I take my hat off to the girls who can wear them though, because they can look pretty cool with some outfits.

Call me old fashioned, but I don’t know if I can handle my feet being edgy, fierce and confrontational. I like my feet to be elegant and sexy.

So I’m loving these strappy, gladiator-inspired shoes from ASOS!

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Four years ago, this month, we weren’t in a good place.

My husband was battling cancer and underwent his first round of chemotherapy. It was an aggressive form of cancer, resistant to chemo, and there was no guarantee of success. We had a 2 year old kid, and we just got news that we were expecting another baby.

Every July that comes and goes, I sit and make myself remember it all.

I remember the bleakness. I remember driving through rain, towards the hospital, walking through a car park littered with leaves. I remember the smell of the corridors. The sounds of the machines and medicines. I remember having no joy in my spirit.

I remember trying to live - one day at the time. Having to concentrate on just getting through that single day. It was too painful to think about the future, or life. I would crumble at the thought of how the little things would never be the same - a family picnic in the park, a trip to the beach, a cup of tea at a cafe.

I remember thinking that I might lose my best friend. That my children might not remember who their father was. That I would be sitting in our house, with every single object around me, reminding me of the man I love. That I might forget his face.

I remember the sheer focus and mental discipline that was needed to stop myself from going mad. The thousands of terrible and depressing thoughts, raining relentlessly in my head, images I couldn’t stop, clouding my view, gripping, choking, dragging me down to that deep, dark place.

I remember faith. Holding on to this really huge floating thing that kept my head above the water. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it, nor why I was doing it at the time, but it was big, much bigger than me, and it worked.

I remember the helplessness. I remember I couldn’t do a single thing to change anything. Nothing. Just hopelessness. Emptiness. And heart-wrenching sadness.

Then I snap out of it. I sit back from my reverie,

And I think, Oh my God, how did I escape that one?

Did it really happen? Is this real? Am I REALLY sitting here with my husband and two sons running around outside, throwing leaves at each other in the garden? With everyone smiling and laughing and happy as can be? How did I come to this? What on earth did I do to deserve it?

I’ve come to realise that the words “fate” and “destiny” are meaningless to me.

Whereas I discover one of life’s sweetest words - grace. It heals all that is broken inside me, and makes me want to change my life. To live the best I can. With purpose. With significance. With gratitude. With happiness.

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My 3yo has a rather interesting way of interpreting the English language.

He calls spaghetti – Mister Getty.

Important is Port Tenant.

Comfortable is actually a Comfy Table.

Dessert is Berserk.

And Pistachios are Moustachios.

And sometimes, just for fun, I like to make him say them all in one sentence.

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I’d like to introduce you to someone who I think is pretty cool.

Alister Yiap has made quite a splash on the fashion scene since he graduated from Curtin University’s Jewellery Design Course just last year.

His work first caught my eye when I saw a photo of his wearable art, I thought it was very cool. Then, when I was invited to be backstage at the Graduation Fashion Show, I saw his full collection and I was completely blown away!

I was not the only one who was struck by his impressive talent! He’s gained a tidy list of awards, media attention and he was recently named as one of the Emerging Designers at STYLEAID 2008 - one of Perth’s most important annual fashion events.

I had the chance to meet up with Alister, chat over a mug of hot chocolate, and discover that he was even more talented than I suspected.

And he was great to talk to! Lively, confident, intelligent and passionate about his work. He was very modest and very kind. His mix of dedication, professionalism and vision is clearly reflected in the quality of his designs and the styling of his brand.

Jewellery is his main focus at the moment, and the pieces he produces are gorgeous, dark, edgy, confident and sexy. And they encompass the same mood and tone as his “Runway Couture” designs.

Alister’s jewellery come in two categories. The first is his “Fine Jewellery”, highly sought after one-off creations. These are hand-crafted by Alister himself, and there are presently only two pieces left!

The other is his “Malachi Alister Yiap” collection of limited-edition jewellery.

I really like this range. Which is why I’m a proud owner of these Ivira earrings. I love their dark, elegant, sexy mood. I love the black diamond touches and the solid silver. And I love the fact it’s a “limited edition” piece.

I found a mirror and I made Alister “Do The Karen Cheng” with me. He was such a darling.

I was actually trying to capture the whole “dark, elegant and moody” thing, and have some photos that were a bit more sophisticated - especially since we both turned up to the meeting in matching fur-lined jackets.

But when the time came, we spent most of the time laughing ourselves into a blur of pixels.

Thanks Alister, it was wonderful to meet you!

Alister Yiap’s Website - Malachi Alsiter Yiap Collection, Fine Jewellery Collection, Runway Couture.

You can browse and buy his Malachi Alister Yiap range at Shopmoose.

Alister’s Fine Jewellery are exclusively sold online at the Katherine Kalaf Gallery.

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It’s been raining. And we have stuff growing on our door mat.

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With my interest in fashion, I have been very excited about the upcoming Perth Fashion Festival, 4 - 12 September 2008 – its 10th anniversary!

I had the opportunity to meet up and chat with Mariella Harvey-Hanrahan, director of the Perth Fashion Festival, to find out more about her, and to have a little peak into what’s going to be cool and exciting at this year’s festival.

I discovered that it was in fact Mariella herself who first founded the festival in Perth 10 years ago. At that time, she was working as a fashion writer at a magazine, Bridal Options, which she also founded, and she had a fashion jewellery label called Lou Lou.

She has since moved on from both the magazine and her boutique, and now dedicates her time to running the PFF. She also happens to be a mother of two, and so of course, I completely appreciate the energy and passion she must have.

Mariella was lovely to talk to. She was glowing with energy and excitement for the Festival and what it does for all facets of the Western Australian fashion industry – fashion designers, emerging designers, models, photographers, stylists, retailers and more – all making a contribution to the national and international fashion scene.

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Perth Fashion Festival, with the theme ‘A Decade of Fashion’.

The Festival will run over 10 days, featuring runway shows, awards, free events for the public, guest appearances by designers and celebrities and many other events. The full details will not be revealed to the public until the official programme launch on Tuesday 29th July, which is also when the 2008 website will be launched.

Tipped to be the highlight of the event is the new ‘WA Designer Collections 1 and 2’. Collection 1 will feature 15 already successful Western Australian fashion labels, and Collection 2 will showcase 10 emerging and independent WA designers.

I’ll be at the programme launch, and I can’t wait to see who these designers are!

Until then, you can visit the 2007 Perth Fashion Festival to see what went down last year.

Photo credits: Garment by GOSPEL, Neckpiece by Yang Li.

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My husband and I were in our favourite cafe, chilling out, enjoying a chat, a flick through the newspaper and a pot of tea.

I couldn’t resist jumping up and taking a few pictures of the cake display. They all looked incredible, plus I thought I’d practice taking some snaps with my new camera.

I decided to have a slice of Honey Comb and Vanilla Brulee.

It was delicious!! But I had forgotten how hard honey comb was, and I knew my dentist would not be happy. I felt like I was grinding iron ore pieces with my teeth.

From the corner of my eye I saw a group of girls sit down at a table next to us.

I noticed that one girl was wearing a really nice skirt and had really nice make up. Then a few moments later she walked over and introduced herself as a reader! How cool!

We chatted for a while, then I thought it might be cute to “Do the Karen Cheng” with her and her friends. Thanks for being so game guys! It was a real highlight to my evening!

I’ve uploaded a few pics to the DTKC Facebook Group.

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I was walking past a butcher’s window the other day, when a pile of “Beef Soup Bones” caught my eye.

I stood there with my mouth watering, dreaming about a hot, thick beefy soup, salty and creamy with soft vegetables and the smell of stewed herbs. Mmmmm.

I know this sounds silly, but, I searched the web for a simple beef soup recipe that was similar to the imaginary soup in my head. And I couldn’t find one! So I made this one up, and it worked! It was absolutely divine!

Simple Beef and Vegetable Soup

1kg of beef soup bones
1 large brown onion, chopped
I stalk of celery, chopped
2 carrots
1 small turnip, chopped
1 medium potato, chopped
fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon of peppercorns
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt to taste

1) Throw everything into a large pot.

2) Cover the pot contents with boiling water. Boil on high heat for 5 minutes, then simmer on low heat for 3 - 3.5 hours. Taste, add more seasoning, or top up with more hot water, if required.

3) I like to remove the meat from the bone. Serve hot with crusty bread!

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I just adore my Rootote Bags! I’m continually amazed by how much stuff I can throw in there and how sturdy they are. They’re definitely perfect as an everywhere bag.

Rootote has recently launched a new range of designs, and I managed to get my hands on some super cute ones.

This is me about to head off to an afternoon lunch with some friends. I’ve got a Medium Luxe Floral Bag which is holding a pair of hoodies for my sons, two drink bottles, a packet of biscuits and not to mention all my usual handbag stuff.

This is me dressed more appropriately for the cold, winter afternoons. I’m heading out to a cafe with friends. I’m carrying a Medium Felt Swan Bag – it’s so cute, and it’s made of felt!

These are a few more cool designs from the site:

From left to right: Dot Luxe, Capital Luxe, Corner and Denim.

I was also eyeing a few TALL designs (slightly larger in size):

From left to right: Nature, Check and Bonjour.

Rootote are offering FREE Shipping Australia-wide. And a flat fee of AU$12 to Singapore, Malaysia, USA and NZ. Enjoy!

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After 10 months of trying for our 3rd baby with no luck, we’ve decided that we will try IUI – Intra Uterine Insemination.

This is where sperm from your preferred sperm donor is injected directly into your uterus. It’s cheaper, and much less complicated and invasive that IVF – where the eggs are taken out of your body, and mixed with the sperm in a lab, before being returned to the uterus.

IUI also has a much lower chance of success than IVF – but since we already have two babies, we figure my eggs and my husband’s sperm have got a pretty good track record of getting together when given a chance.

So a few weeks ago, we chose a fertility clinic that best matched our plans. All three of the clinics we visited seemed excellent, but this one just seemed best for where we are right now.

We met with our doctor and our fertility nurse. We ran through a lot of formalities. We had to sign a whole heap of official documents, consent forms, and papers to make sure we understood everything.

The next thing that needed to happen was: Tracking. This is the term that refers to finding out the exact critical few hours when the egg will be in the correct position to be fertislised.

So when I get my period, I would call my Fertility Nurse and let her know. This was labelled DAY 1.

At DAY 10, I had to go to get a blood sample taken.

This meant going to any blood collection laboratory and get some blood taken before 9am. The blood is sent to another laboratory. Results are passed on to my doctor. And I get a phone call at 2pm with the results. Timing is crucial.

The doctor said, “Have another blood test on DAY 12.”

Repeat above.

“Have another blood test on DAY 14.”

Repeat above.

“Have another blood test on DAY 15.”

“COME IN TO THE CLINIC! NOW NOW NOW!!”

So I rush into the clinic, but there is no sense of urgency when I arrive. It is all very professional and calm. After all, this is what these people do everyday. The procedure is very simple and completely painless.

And now, I have to wait 14 days to have another blood test – to find out if I’m pregnant! Fingers crossed.

…
Click here to see the whole story of Making Baby 3.

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