::: Meet Me At Mike's :::

:: Today Is The Wedding!

2012-02-11T06:48:00.002+11:00

I will be back tomorrow to catch up here, but I just wanted to say :

Omg. Thank you for all the pompoms! Rin is so thrilled you guys have helped! We will take photos today, to show you!

I will see you tomorrow with snaps and chats!

xx Pip

:: A Year Of Good Things : 40/366

2012-02-09T19:01:00.000+11:00

And now for TODAY!

Today we got up early. Ari has been ill and had to stay home again, so we worked all that out and then Max made me a coffee (! HOW COOL !) and I started work at 7am (after I had tipped hair dye all over my head, so I don't look like a skunk at the Wedding!) Then we packed Max off to school, I finished my morning work and we printed our catering list and headed to the market. (Oops. I did wash the dye out and dry my hair and get dressed somewhere in there!)

We bought tomatoes, zucchinis, potatoes, herbs, cucumbers, mushrooms, bread, oranges, pumpkin, pineapples and chilli!

Next we headed to Mamma Lucia's cheese shop in Brunswick and we bought fetta, bocconcini and mozzarella.

Then we dropped in to Savers to grab a few extra plates and some fairy lights.

After that we headed to Spotlight and bought 25m of pale blue gingham to use as tablecloths.

Then we headed to Mediterranean Wholesalers to buy olive oil, olives, white wine vinegar, tomato paste, salami, dried oregano, salt and peppercorns.

THEN we came home and had lunch.

Next we went to the Turkish Grocer on Smith Street and got 15 kg of flour for crispy, thin pizza base dough. And then to the variety store to get tons of containers to store and transport the food in. PLUS we bought soap, loo paper, brown paper, extra pizza trays, squeezy bottles for herby olive oil and even more bits and pieces.

Phew. The good news is there are only a few things left on my list! And I am sipping Prosecco and Blood Orange Juice and listening to Sarah Weiner's show on SBS (Cam and Ari are actually WATCHING IT!)

I am so glad of lists and spreadsheets and Google Calendar. They have helped us plan this wedding without too much fuss. We've even got a few Facebook groups for different wedding elements, so the various helpers can chat to each other! SO Good!!

How about you? DO you like Prosecco? Do you like lists, spreadsheets or calendars?

xx Pip

40|366
Good Thing : Being Organised
This Good Thing Is For : The Bride and Groom
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 39/366 (Yesterday)

2012-02-09T18:40:00.000+11:00

Arrrrrghhhhh! The wedding is coming! OMG! Haaalp! Okay. Not really. I mean the wedding IS really coming, but it's kinda all under control. Except the butterflies. They have turned into peacocks, or something. They are fanning their tails and making their presence felt. The day is getting closer and all the lists are getting ticked and all the cells in the spreadsheet are getting coloured in yellow (yellow means DONE!) All the deliveries are being made, all the cakes are being baked, all the dresses and crockery and cutlery and champagne are sorted, done, dusted!

It's kind of a WEIRD time. La Bride is being lovely and not 'zilla-y in any way. The groom is being calm and nice and telling cute jokes. It's all going pretty great.

I've been cramming in my work amidst the planning and errands. And I have been managing that semi-OK, too! Go me!

Do you know what? I think the peacocks suit me MORE than the butterflies. I mean, the butterflies are little and kinda pretty, don't get me wrong. But if you're going to have nerves, they may as will be the big, bold, brash, emeraldy, purpley, bluey kind, right? I think those suit me better. I know they are there and I can chat to them, you know? I tend to ignore the butterflies, because they are not as imposing!

Do you get butterflies? Or peacocks, even?!

xx Pip

39|366 (Yesterday)
Good Thing : Peacocks
This Good Thing Is For : Me and the Wedding Party
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

PS : Yesterday I wrote a post about the pressure on women to be Super Hotties after they deliver their babies. I don't like that. You can read my view here.

:: My Day : A Photography Project : Join In?!

2012-02-07T15:35:00.001+11:00

Would you like to join our new project, over on JustB? It's called My Day. And basically you just take a photo of something you do/see in your day! It could be anything. And you don't even have to do this every day. There are no themes. You can use any kind of camera or smart phone. AND you just do it when you feel like it!

There is a board over on Pinterest for the My Day photos. And I think if we all get behind it, we can take lots of cute peeks into people's lives!

Join here! Play My Day with me, some days, in the way you like!

xx Pip

:: A Year Of Good Things : 38/366

2012-02-07T08:59:00.000+11:00

When I got up this morning, Cam made me some toast and tea. And then I made coffee for Max and Me. And I sat on the couch watching a bit of ABC news TV and looking at the new lounge room (which was the old shop!) It's coming together into something cute. I thought I would show you some of the cute bits I am loving about my new lounge room. Sometimes things don't quite come together as a whole, for a while, but you can still appreciate the nice BITS of the whole. Until the whole is the way you want. Until the whole is right!

Have you got cute bits in your house? Do you remember to notice them?!

xxx Pip

38|366
Good Thing : Little Vignettes
This Good Thing Is For :: All Of Us
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 37/366

2012-02-06T16:24:00.000+11:00

I collect these mugs. I know. I am weird.

I've finally got them displayed in a super pleasing peg-boardy way. If you ever see one of these in an op-shop or at a garage sale I would LOVE you to buy it for me! I will even paypal you the cost and postage! That's how nuts I am.

This peg board used to be our Mug-zeum in the shop. Now I get to use it for my private collection. I am fancy. I have private mugs!

xx Pip

PS : I'm writing about 'Cute Looks For Rad Ladies' over here!

37|366
Good Thing : Making Your Mug Collection Look Cuter
This Good Thing Is For :: Me!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 36/366 : Yesterday : A Mixtape

2012-02-06T09:42:00.000+11:00

Mixtape Monday 1 from meetmeatmikes on 8tracks.

I made you a Mixtape! It can be Mixtape Monday! How does that grab you?! Did you have a nice weekend? It was cozy here and we did wedding stuff and I caught up with lots of work. That sounds kinda busy, but it was the good kinda busy. What did you do? Were you busy? Or did you just sloth about?

xx Pip

36|366 (yesterday!)
Good Thing : Making A Mixtape
This Good Thing Is For :: You!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 35/366 : Galerie Montmartre Pop Up Window at Mike's!

2012-02-04T22:08:00.002+11:00

Look at this! Our very first Pop Up Window has just been unveiled! Ta-dah!

This window residency is by Galerie Montmartre, a super wonderful Vintage Poster Boutique! GalMont is usually snuggled up in the side streets of Fitzroy but for the month of February they are spreading their wings and taking centre-stage in our window! How great!

Each week the window will change a little bit and we'll be able to show you a teensy few of the zillions of prints that GalMont has tucked away!

So here are some photos of the window at NIGHT! I will show you some daytime ones too, in the next day or two! (That's a lot of twos/toos!)

Welcome to Mike's, Galerie Montmartre! You can read their blog here, too! It's totes worth a read, because my friend Shelley writes it!

xx Pip

35|366
Good Thing : Fresh starts and new ideas : Galmont pop up window!
This Good Thing Is For :: Everyone!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

PS : You or your business can pop up in our window too! Just email me for details. It's a teensy $250 a week (with a one month minimum) and has the very best kind of exposure you could hope for!

:: And I'm Loving This Track At The Moment

2012-02-04T10:47:00.001+11:00

Do you like it, too?

x Pip

:: Handwriting Meme

2012-02-04T10:36:00.001+11:00

I found this via Izznit! I thought it was super cute! Look at my higgledy piggledy cursive meets print writing. Gazooks! Let me know if you do this too... or link back and I will find you!

1. What is your name

2. Blog URL

3. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

4. Favorite quote

5. Favorite song (at the moment)

6. Favorite band/singers (at the moment)

7. Say anything you want

8. Tag 3-5 bloggers

I hope you are having a great Saturday (or Friday, even!) Are you?
xx Pip

:: A Year Of Good Things : 34/366

2012-02-03T17:31:00.001+11:00

Macarons are the flavour of the fancy cake day. But I like macaroons. Do you like them too? Or perhaps you are the chewy macaron kind? I bought these ones at Piedemonte's. I thought they would be dry and denying, but I figured that they'd work with a cup of tea. They are not dry. They deny nothing. They are moist and delicious and I am never buying them again because I might eat them all!

I never buy cakes or biscuits. I bought these for Rin's Craft Night, but we didn't need them. Victoria brought some brownies and we ate those instead. I brought them home again and we have promptly eaten the whole packet, just about. Not just me. Other people too. I am not a Macaroon hog. I am not.

xx Pip

34|366
Good Thing : Buy a treat you don't normally buy!
This Good Thing Is For :: My household!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 33/366 (Yesterday!)

2012-02-03T17:23:00.000+11:00

Here she goes again. Another hair brained health scheme. Meet Carafe. I bought him when Kirst and I went to Tyabb. He holds about 2 1/2 litres of water. I really don't drink much water, so I thought I would fill him up and have him in my office. He will encourage me to drink a GOOD amount of water each day. I think a bendy straw makes it more of a party. What do you think? Is this a Good Thing?

33|366 (yesterday)
Good Thing : Drinking Lots Of Water
This Good Thing Is For :: ME!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 32/366 (Yesterday!)

2012-02-02T14:59:00.000+11:00

Here we are! That is me in the red dress! And I am sitting next to Brooke. And you can see Clara and Lupita too! We had a bit of a crafting session at Rin's last night, making cute party favours for the wedding guests. There was quite a lot of eating delicious food. There was a fair bit of crafting. There was a huge amount of giggling, too. Do you know how much fun it is to make things with your friends? Gosh. I think my whole life has been built on the fun-ness of making together!

Lately I have been a bit busy, so I haven't really put aside much crafting-with-pals time. I don't know WHAT I was thinking, because LOOK how much fun it is! OMG. It's a Good Thing. You have to do it! It'll make you feel really SUPER good!

Do you make things with your friends? Do you hang out with pals and have giggly times? Do you do Good Things together?!

xx Pip

32|366 (yesterday)
Good Thing : Making Things With Friends!
This Good Thing Is For :: A few of my friends and some of Rin's friends too!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: Pip's Tech Tips! : MyTVR

2012-02-02T14:36:00.000+11:00

You might know that I love technology. I really do. I think I'm going to do a lot more stuff about useful technology and helpful ways to use the internet to make your life easier. Does that sound good?

Today I want to tell you about a website I've been using called MyTVR. I like it. It's really useful for me. Where I live (in Fitzroy) it's a kind of black hole in terms of phone and TV reception. The big apartment blocks and the hospitals seem to catch all the good waves and that leaves me with hardly any. So I need to have some tricks up my sleeve to make things work for me. We had Foxtel for a while there, but I just didn't think it was good value (especially since we only had it so we could get free to air reception via the cable!)

So we don't have Foxtel. And we have no reception in our new downstairs living room (which was the shop) which means I am using MyTVR instead.

Here's what you do. You can get a free trial (which is what I did) and that allows you to record scheduled shows and play then back on your computer, iPad or iPhone. I play mine back through the media player I have attached to my telly too (the Boxee Box).

I like MyTVR because I can just choose the shows I want from the usual free-to-air guide (via their website) and it will record them for me to watch later. Maybe that's in the bath on my iPad. Maybe it's on my phone. Or maybe it's just on my PC or telly.

MyTVR is a subscription based service. At the moment I pay $8 a month (that's the cheapest!) and that lets me store 5 hours of recorded programs. That seems to be quite good for me. I just choose things each day and scan the week ahead for anything interesting too.

Maybe you don't have very good reception where you are? Or maybe you want to watch TV in a room that doesn't have an antenna? Or maybe you want to watch TV on your iPad or iPhone? Then this might be good for you, too!

xx Pip

PS : Not a sponsored post. I found MyTVR via Google and paid for it myself! Merci!

:: A Year Of Good Things : 31/366 (Yesterday!)

2012-02-01T15:21:00.000+11:00

mike perry mouse! : wedding pompoms! : yarn art!

Yesterday we had band practice at Rin's house. Max, Ari, Sarah, Joe and Mick are going to play at the Wedding. And The Bluebottles too! We headed to Rin's to go through plans for the wedding and so the gang could run through the songs they are going to perform. It was pretty amazing. Rin and I sat at her kitchen table and listened to the guys (and Sarah) singing and playing in the next room. For the first time it dawned on us both how GREAT the wedding is going to be. It was a happy teary moment! Yay! Sob!

Sometimes amidst the details you can lose sight of the big picture! The big picture is good. It is great, in fact! It's super important to stop and think about what you're doing and why you're doing it and how special it is, isn't it? I am glad we had a little joyful jolt. I'm not saying I'm not going to freak out over the next week or so. BUT I am saying that I am going to try to remember to appreciate what we're going through, instead of feeling all 'Eeeek-y'!

Does that make sense? Are you a big picture person? Do you remember to think about the Good Stuff while it's happening? Or do you sometimes get caught up in the details (in a stressed way!)

xx Pip

31|366 (yesterday)
Good Thing : Remembering the Big Picture!
This Good Thing Is For :: Us all!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Little JustB Update!

2012-02-01T13:27:00.000+11:00

I thought I'd share some of my fave JustB posts! Just in case you don't get over there much or have too much on your reading list to sort through yet another website! Here are my latest and semi-greatest. I don't want you to think I've got a big head or anything. These are demi-rad. Go see! If you would like to!

Are You Too Busy To Be Interesting?
The Armchair Neat Freak : In the Nursery
What's Wrong With Demi Moore?
Your Weekend : 10 Rad Slices To Make
Be Nicer! Eat Lunch! 10 Lunch Recipes!

You can also join JustB on Face-Bock, where we chat about all kindsa stuff. Or just stick with Mikes! Our Face-Bock is here! Bock bock!

Are you on Facebook? Do you have a Facebook PAGE?!

xx Pip

:: More Of The Poster (Mary Blair?!)

2012-01-31T18:08:00.000+11:00

Do you think it's Mary Blair? I think it is!

xx Pip

:: A Year Of Good Things : 30/366 (Yesterday! Again!)

2012-01-31T17:32:00.000+11:00

image via

Land sakes. It's so busy 'round here. I can't even tell you. The house seems to be full of 853 children all the time. We are trying to make the shop into a living room and office. While we make the window fresh and new ready for Galerie Montmartre's Window Residency (they install Wednesday!) While I try to do my Mike's work and JustB work. While I try and make sure the boys are ready for return to school this week. While I try and stop the house looking like it's been burgled (it has NOT!) While I try to get things sorted with Rin for her wedding.

I am not afraid to say that I am pooped.

I am pooped!

I have lots to do. It will all get done. But I am looking foward to some of these tasks being crossed off the list!

How about you? Are you pooped? I think it's a Good Thing to know when you are pooped. Then you can organize some special treats for yourself like a long bath or a fave TV show or a box of Savoury Shapes. What treats do you like, when you are pooped?

xx Pip

30|366 (yesterday)
Good Thing : Knowing when you are pooped.
This Good Thing Is For :: Me
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 29/366 (Yesterday!)

2012-01-30T20:49:00.001+11:00

Look at this! Yesterday Cam found this on the side of the road in a pile of rubbish. It seems to be a vintage Mary Blair print! OMG. It's in lovely condition! That is a very Good Thing!

Do you like Mary Blair? Do you like the things other people throw out? What's the BEST thing you've found in roadside rubbish?

xx Pip

29|366 (yesterday)
Good Thing : Finding the Good Stuff others throw away
This Good Thing Is For :: Me and You
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: The Bluebottles!

2012-01-30T16:16:00.002+11:00

Are rad. Look. Listen. Like!

xx Pip

:: A Year Of Good Things : 28/366 : (Yesterday!)

2012-01-29T14:42:00.000+11:00

images via Tokketok : (by joke vande gaer)

Sometimes I forget to trip about the internet and find new things. I know that might be hard to believe, but I tend to hang in my fave places (and on Pinterest and Facebook), and not go too much further afield. I am a creature of habit, especially when I'm busy. I like to visit my old faithfuls.

BUT.

Because I've been helping Rin to plan her wedding (it's in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! OMG!) I have been looking around the place for printables and platter ideas and things like that. Today, as I looked about, I stumbled upon Tokketok. I have been there before, but I forgot how GREAT it is. I think you should go there and take a peek.

Do you stick to your faves or do you trip about the internet looking for newness? Or do you do both? Tell me how it is for you, if you have time! If not that's okay too!

xx Pip

28|366 (yesterday)
Good Thing : Visiting special blogs
This Good Thing Is For :: Me and You
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 27/366

2012-01-27T07:13:00.000+11:00

image via Lobster & Swan

Adorable blogging superstar (and veteran!) Lobster & Swan has launched The February Matchbox A Day Challenge! Yay for her! Every day you decorate or design a matchbox to fit the theme! She's using vintage matchboxes, wooden ones, but you could do this with regular matchboxes too and set aside the matches like this!

I think this is such a cute project! I love an art/design/craft challenge. I think a daily habit is a really great way to get inspired and stay motivated. (That's what this whole blog is about really. It's a mostly daily challenge to myself!)

Are you the daily habit kind of person? Are you the challenge kind of person? Do you love this cute project?

xx Pip

27|366
Good Thing : A Daily Challenge (via Lobster & Swan)
This Good Thing Is For :: Crafty types
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 26/366

2012-01-26T19:52:00.001+11:00

Picasso via Lexi, too!

Today I woke up and checked my Facebook. Ye gads. My friend Lexi was a bit upset. Rightly so. Overnight she'd been called some pretty nasty names on FB by people she doesn't even know.

Why? She'd posted an image on Facebook of a woman breastfeeding her baby. Standing on her head, yoga-like. In the nude. Facebook deemed the image offensive and removed it. It also removed any images that other people reposted of the nude headstand mumma. Hm. What the? It was actually pretty cute and funny, in my opinion. Others begged to differ...

If you click over here, you can read more about what happened. I wrote a piece about how I feel about breastfeeding. 'I'm not really a mummy blogger.' But I am a mum. And I know about breastfeeding. I think it's rad. I think boobs have baby nourishing super powers. I was lucky enough to be able to breastfeed all my kidlets. I'm all for the Mumma Milk Bar. Yesiree.

What do you think? Do you have super powers? Is breast feeding important to you? Or is it something you could not do... or even chose not to do? I think all mums are rad, breastfeedy or not. Booby or not. Nude or not. I think all mums try their best.

xx Pip

PS : I decided not to post the image here, because I am all trolled out on this blog. But you can see it on my JustB post!

26|366
Good Thing : Celebrate Breast Feeding
This Good Thing Is For :: The World!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 25/366 (Yesterday)

2012-01-26T18:51:00.000+11:00

Yesterday we made pancakes for breakfast. I like to make pancakes, but I don't usually eat them, ya know? I'm not much of a desserty sweet person, generally. Only for a treat. Yes.

I was cooking these pancakes for Ari and Max yesterday morning (via the Nigella pancake recipe) when something strange happened. The buttery sweet smell of them overwhelmed me. I really HAD to have one. I have not eaten a pancake in about ten years, mind you. Isn't that weird? What's with the pancake strike?

I really wanted lemon and sugar on top of my pancake, but we didn't have any lemons. (Don't you love the smell of lemon and sugar together?!) What we did have was homemade yoghurt and homemade apricot jam, thanks to A Year Of Good Things. That seemed like a great idea. Yep. When I tasted it I realised it was, in fact, an outstanding idea. So yum. Success! Delish. Mmmm.

Do you like pancakes. If you do, how do you like them? What's yum to you?

xx Pip

25|366
Good Thing : Remember To Eat Pancakes. Try them with homemade toppings!
This Good Thing Is For :: Me!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder

:: A Year Of Good Things : 24/366!

2012-01-24T22:39:00.000+11:00

Today was Ari's birthday! That is a Good Thing! He was born way back in the year 2000! Thank heavens for that! I love him. I do. We all had a great day. I had a bit of a day off and we mooched about and then we went out for Japanese and then we went to the beach to catch some crabs! We only caught a few, and they are for the boys to eat. We threw the small ones straight back, of course.

Here is a bit of our day. A Good Day. Full of Good Things! Was your day good? Are you okey doke?

xx Pip

24|366
Good Thing : Celebrate Ari
This Good Thing Is For :: The World!
Join A Year Of Good Things :: Be A Daily Do-Gooder