Frocktober : Week Three

Week three - DONE! We are in the home stretch people! And I've raised my target again - hit $1K, now aiming for $1300. Really amazing. I thank you. The ovaries of Australia thank you. And if you haven't donated yet there's still plenty of time to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation - just click on over. Even five dollars is awesome, if that's all you can spare. 

Week three was a busy one for me, and a rather emotional one too. Lots of ups and downs. There was a photography workshop with Brooke Holm, where I got to meet the ever colourful Gourmet Girlfriend in real life. And I met Megan Morton too which was pretty ace. (More on that at a later date). I went to a play and saw some art and ate lots of food, and stayed out late on a Saturday night for the first time in a very long time. I battled stinking hot days (Sydney) and hail storms (Melbourne) and I got to hang out with some of my favourite people. Hurrah! 

Outfit details: 

15. Denim Sack of Awesome (number four) - ASOS / Ankle boots - Novo 

16. Frock - Oasis via ASOS (now half price!) / Slingback heels - Vintage Bruno Magli (from an Etsy shop which seems to have closed down) / Belt - Gorman 

17. Shift dress - Gorman / Top - Witchery / Ankle boots - Novo / Overexposed photo - Exhaustion 

18. Frock - A Wear via ASOS / Top - Uniqlo Heattech (aka the best thermals on the planet) / Scarf - Zara (I think) / Ankle boots - Novo (get the impression I'm a bit in love with these shoes at the moment?) 

19. Frock - Marks + Spencer / Peep toe heels - Moschino / Weird knees - Mother Nature / Underexposed photo - Exhaustion

20. Denim Sack of Awesome (number five) - Zara / Sandals - ALDO / Arms of steel - Low weights, many reps 

21. Frock - ASOS / Flats - Ecote via Urban Outfitters / Jazz hands - By popular demand / Humiliation - It's for a good cause...

I didn't realise how much ASOS I was wearing until I put this list together!

ps. If you want a better look at each outfit and/or each ridiculous facial expression you can find bigger pics on my Instagram (posting daily) and on my sponsorship page (posting almost daily).

Frocktober : Week Two

Frocktober week two, in which I manage to look like a complete goose in every photo except one (pick which one!). We're at the halfway mark and - I never thought I'd say this - I'm a bit over frocks. Oh to be able to throw on a pair of jeans and a tee! (By the by, I'm pretty sure I'd be a little less over frocks if you sponsored me...)

It's a bit sad knowing that once I've worn a frock I can't wear it again until November. I'm a uniform kind of girl, not a wear-something-different-every-day kind of girl! At any one time I have a handful of outfits that I rotate through the week, but not this month. I've been very conscious of not binging on my most favourite frocks in the first half, I'm trying to spread them across the whole month. But it's tricky!

For week three I'm taking frocktober to Melbourne - hurrah! And there just might be jazz hands (yay!) and wearing my hair down (blergh!) in a future selfie... 

Here's all the outfit details: 

8. Frock - Ark + Co via ModCloth / Bodysuit - H + M / Heels - Nine West / Lipstick - Rouge Coco Shine in Sari D'Eau / Smile - Courtesy of all you wonderfully generous people! 

9. Frock - Marks + Spencer / Belt - Namdaemun Market / Slingback heels - Vintage Bruno Magli from an Etsy store that seems to have shut down

10. Frock - Anna Thomas / Heels - Midas 

11. Denim Sack of Awesome (number three) - Gorman / Flats - Ecote via Urban Outfitters / Photo of Ferdi the Handsomest Hound in the World - My Heart 

12. Frock - Gorman (again!) / Belt - Zara (I think) / Heels - Midas (definitely)

13. Frock - Uniqlo / Sandals - ALDO 

14. Frock - Ruby by Leona Edmiston / Flats - Zara / Goose Bumps + Blue Lips - Sydney's crazy Spring weather

ps. If you want a better look at each outfit and/or each ridiculous facial expression you can find bigger pics on my Instagram (posting daily) and on my sponsorship page (posting almost daily).

A Little Note About Life Right Now...

You may have noticed things have been a little quiet over here lately, quieter than usual. It's not because I don't have anything to blog about. There's fifteen draft posts sitting here waiting to be finished, asking to be written. 

I want to tell you about the things I've learnt from living overseas, and the things I'm loving about being back in Australia and the things I miss about Korea. And I want to tell you about the ups and downs of being a step mum. And I also really want to give you an update on The Big Project; to show you the progress and let you know how awesome our architect has been through the whole process. 

But, as much as I really want to do all that, it just hasn't been a priority for me right now. And I need to accept that - to acknowledge that that's the choice I'm making, rather than feel frustrated that I haven't hit publish on those draft posts. I'll get to them one day, it's just not today. 

Because today I'm focussed on spending time with the husband before he heads off on another long-ish overseas trip. On setting up the house for the step-sons so it feels like a comfortable place for them, and so that it's easy for them to transition from their Mum's house to ours and back again. I'm focussed on enjoying the sunshine, the unseasonable warmth, and on being active with tennis games and gym visits and trips to the beach. And - let's be honest - I'm also focussed on eating all the things in Sydney. 

I'm also focussed on less fun things like sorting out the gas and water and electricity and wifi and car insurance. And pointlessly fretting over our cash flow. Oh, and the ironing. The endless, mind numbing ironing. 

But it's actually pretty great, this keeping busy with good and mundane real world tasks. Because, to be honest, if I don't keep busy in the real world right now there's a high chance I'll fall into a bit of a hole...

Awhile ago I was chatting to someone who'd done the whole repatriation thing. She'd lived and worked in Europe for a few years. Had a great job, had a great life. And then she moved back home. And she was fine, until one day she found herself sobbing uncontrollably in the supermarket, thinking 'a few months ago I was spending my weekends in France and now I'm stuck in the suburbs of Brisbane figuring out which brand of butter to buy'. (I may be paraphrasing a little, but you get the gist). 

When I'm not busy I'm dislocated. I'm a bit lost (especially without my dogs). I don't know my routine yet, my direction. People keep asking me if I'm working, what I'm doing. And - long term - I'm not really sure how to answer that. So I'm going to keep soaking up the sunshine and hitting the gym and hanging out with the husband and step-sons. I'm going to keep focussing on what's happening in front of me, right now, for a little while longer. Bear with me.

Frocktober : Week One

Well, for someone who very rarely puts themselves in front of the camera this isn't confronting at all. Nope. Cough. But, it's all for a good cause - I'm wearing a different frock every day this month in support of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. 

There's currently no early detection test for ovarian cancer, which leads to a high mortality rate. The OCRF is working at developing awareness of the symptoms and causes of ovarian cancer. They're not government funded, so to do their good work they rely on people like you and I handing over our hard earned cash. So, if you have five bucks to spare, sponsor me! 

One week in and I'm slowly getting over my dread of the selfie. And - in even better news - we've raised $600! Wow! A big thanks to all of you who've donated, I really appreciate the support. And thank you too for all the lovely comments on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook. It's made posting the daily photo much less traumatic. 

Anyhoo, here's all the outfit details: 

1. Frock - Marks + Spencer / Belt - Zara / Heels - Midas 

2. Denim Sack of Awesome (summer weight) - Uniqlo / Flats - Ecote via Urban Outfitters (these are my absolute favourite flats. This is my third pair in 18 months, I wear them until they fall apart.)

3. Frock - Whistles via ASOS / Ankle boots - Novo 

4. Denim Sack of Awesome (winter weight) - Muji / Ankle boots - Novo 

5. Frock - Gap / Flats - Urban Outfitters / Ridiculous expression - All mine 

6. Frock - Mata Traders / Pretend high heels - Stylists own 

7. Frock - Gorman / Belt - Gorman / Ankle boots - Novo / Frown - From when I hadn't reached $500 yet. Frown no more!