Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

"Bauble, bauble on the tree, who could the fairest Ken doll be ?"

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us here at Casa Del Waffler.

And thank-you for following my inexplicable waffling through 2010.

I luvs ya all :)

Ken and the Epiphany : Part Three

"I do appreciate the effort you have gone to Ken, but I'm still dubious about the sequined K and the lack of pants."

"Pins like these just aren't meant to be hidden Batman. Now can we get on with the first lesson, I have a souffle in the oven and Babs just isn't reliable in the kitchen."

"Wait...is that..."

"OH NO, wait right there Batman, I'll go grab the rubber gloves and some Sugarsoap and I'll have that smudge cleaned off the wall in a jiffy."

"Ah no Ken. That is the Bat Signal. Someone needs our help. You'll have to learn on the job, just follow my lead."

"Uh Ken, you'll find it hard to follow my lead if you keep running in front of me. *Sigh*"

Meanwhile, not too far away......"So I was like OMG, you are so right, I totally can get away with pink leggings. Um Hans, you're like totally missing that spot on my lower back, what sort of massage did you say this was again ?"

"Bwah ha ha ha. Now that I have The Hand under my control and Barbie #648887 in my grasp, I will crush Batman and Casa Del Waffler will be mine....ALL MINE."

"Oh hey Ken, I dig your outfit, nice sequins, have you met Hans my masseuse ?"

"Oh no Batman, it's Barbie #648887, and that Hans looks like no masseuse that I've ever seen, and quite frankly, I have seen one or two masseuses in my time."

"You're right Super K. That's no masseuse, it's The Hand and Evil Big Head Boy. Keep your wits about you, inside that big head is a big evil brain. We could be in for some big trouble."

To be continued.....

And the winner is.....

Drawn under fairly poorly supervised conditions, the winner of my 'thank you for following' giveaway is.....the lovely Ms Cindy from Bugandpop. Yay, hurrah *round of polite applause*. Thank-you to the lovely Peeps that joined in and a big "hello" to the newest additions on the conga line, I do hope you'll stay and play, I hope to be much more forthcoming with rambling little blog posts when the conclusion of the school year dust settles.

In the meantime I hope you are all enjoying dance concerts (oh yes, we will be so much wiser to all that next year and I hear that g&t in a plastic drink bottle is the current beverage of choice for the discerning dance mama), various class presentations (still trying to work out how the Thriller zombie inspired dance performance from Le Artiste fits in with any sort of Christmas theme. Although it must be said that I am probably doing a masterful interpretation of a zombie at the moment, so perhaps those nine year olds are more on the mark then they realise) and gnawing on the hundred or so spare candy canes collecting at the bottom of your children's school bags.

Yep, the countdown has begun and the smell of Christmas is in the air. Do you know that smell ? Part cinnamon and nutmeg and part frantic desperation with a top note of childish glee. It's all Eau De Christmas Peeps, take a nice big lungful and enjoy.

Ooooh yes Peeps, it's time for......A GIVEAWAY.

Lately I have been feeling big old waves of blog love Peeps and it got me thinking that it was high time to give some of that love back to all you lovely folks who stop by, leave comments and even go so far as adding my little blog to your blog rolls and becoming regular followers.

You may have noticed (or perhaps it may have skipped your attention, but that's okay, I understand, it's rather a busy time of the year) that last week the Waffling Along conga line grew to over 100. I know it's rather silly, but that gave me such a little jolt of happiness, so thank-you :)

In celebration of this rather monumental event, I would like to offer this little box of mish-mashed (figured it was in keeping with my blog style really) gifts which all get the Waffler Seal of Approval. But I'm afraid there is one condition Peeps, as this is a very special thank-you giveaway, you must actually be a follower of my blog in order to enter. I know, I know, look at me going all rules and regulations on you, but sometimes a gals gotta do what a gals gotta do, you know.

Anyway, here is a list of the items I have included :

An excellent book - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, you may have heard of it, unless you've been living under a rock in a cave that is.

Bumble and Bumble alojoba hair conditioner - have you tried Bumble and Bumble yet ? It's rather delicious, and this conditioner contains aloe, jojoba, cucumber and chamomile which should leave you with silky soft tresses.

Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates - Nom nom, need I say more ?

Payot small make-up bag - I love Payot products and this is one very cute little bag to pop your favs into.

Lancome - Primordial day cream with SPF 15 - I must confess I flit between Lancome and Payot skin creams, but both are really lovely.

Lancome - Gel Eclat clarifying wash of cleanser - ALWAYS wash your make-up off Peeps, even if it's 5.30am and you can barely stand up, cleanse, cleanse, cleanse.

Lancome - Genefiqie Youth Activator serum - gotta love a serum that activates your youth right ?

Payot - Smoothing re-activating weekly mask - combined with the Lancome serum, you should be looking years younger in no time, just make sure your kidletts don't get their hands on it or they might disappear altogether.

A pot of Blistex Lip Conditioner SPF 20 - I can vouch for the fact that this is the make-up balm of make-up artists.

And last but not least, a little hand painted Caroler wooden doll, in a lovely summer dress to reflect our toasty Aussie Christmas. And she's a Waffler one off original Peeps, so I hope you like her as much as Petal, who I will have to console with a Caroler Mark II.

*Phew* So there you have it Peeps. Did you find something that tickled your fancy in the list ? I do hope so. Now all you have to do is leave a comment (anything you like, even if you just want to say "hi" ) and make sure that I can contact you through either a blog link or an email address. I will announce the winner on Sunday 5th of December. That's it, easy peasy no ?

Oh, and just one more thing, sadly I can only offer this giveaway to Aussie Peeps, the clay and gold paint coins Le Artiste made haven't fared nearly as well on the currency exchange as we had hoped. But I promise I will put together a little something special just for the overseas visitors soon, 'cause you know I loves you all.

This Saturday I'm grateful for......

This Saturday I am grateful for getting a night out with The Coach. In case you didn't know, my mother-in-law is visiting at the moment, and she has kindly offered to babysit......BABYSIT.....we never have anyone offer to babysit, this may be due in large part to the fact that ALL our family lives in Victoria, but hey, it's only a two hour plane trip people.

Anyway, I'm rather buzzy with anticipation, not only are we heading out for dinner, we are venturing...wait for it...OFF MOUNTAIN. Woo to the Hoo Peeps. We are going to drive down the long road lined with palm trees, down to greet the sea breeze, and for a few hours, we can pretend we are on holidays, just like everyone else. Call it a mini-holiday if you will (with an emphasis on the word 'mini').

Yes, today I am grateful for the little things, but sometimes it is the little things that make a really big difference.

Ken and the Epiphany : Part Two

Later that very same day....

"Well Howdy Partner. Just give me a second to get out of the splits."

" Come back when you can let go of the bed and stand on your own two feet Woody."

"Huh ?"

"Is this someones idea of a joke ? Alfred ?"

"That is a freaking bunny rabbit. I am losing my patience Alfred. Don't. Mess. With. The. Bat. Man"

"Hang on a minute. My bat senses are tingling Alfred...."

"You've got the gig kid. Lose the foil undies, the purse and the lush and come back tomorrow."

"Hurrah Babs, isn't this just the most fabulous thing ever ? It's even better then when I got front row tickets to see Pink."

Ah, yeah Ken, I'm just tickled pink for you. If I weren't legless already I'm sure I would barely be able to stand with the excitement.

To be continued.......

Ken and the Epiphany : Part One

"You know Babs, some days I can't help but feel that there might be more to life then drinking lattes, reading fashion magazines and getting my hair styled."

"Woah Babs, I feel like something just exploded in my brain, I think I just had an epiphany. Oh hang on, maybe it's just a chemical burn from these foils, are you sure the packet said leave on for six hours ?"

Meanwhile.......... "Must. Spell. Words. Correctly."

"Babs, check this out. It's a sign, a wanted sign. No really Babs, put down the bottle of red wine and get over here."

"That's what I thought Babs, I am totally the guy for the job. Grab me a Man Bag and I'll hail down the Little People Bus, we need to get to the kitchen."

"I know Babs, I'm a styling genius. If this outfit doesn't scream Superhero Side Kick then I'll go out in public with last seasons Man Bag. Now screw the lid back on that wine bottle and cling wrap the olives Babs, we've got an appointment with destiny."

"It's meant to be Babs, I can feel it right from perfectly styled hair to the tips of my pedicured toes. Lets go introduce the world to......KenMan the Kourageous...what's that Babs ? Oh, it's courageous with a 'c' ? Oh well, we'll think of a name on the way."

To be continued....

Big Love from the Waffler.

So you've got a fancy schmancy luncheon organised with the girls, it's not at The Ritz, but you're leaving the warmth and security of your bear cave, so you've frocked up and made yourself feel perty. As you walk past the window you see a small dog fly by, hmmm, seems it's a little gusty in the great outdoors, sure is lucky you don't need to use your private chopper or you would have had to pop some air sickness pills. You grab your bag, you do a quick final check in the mirror, hair, behaving, lip gloss, a shiny, shimmering pool. Perfect. You step out the front door and BAM, a gust of wind sends your perfectly coiffed do straight onto your shiny lips. One second you were the shizzle, the next, Cousin Its long lost love. We've all been there Peeps, and nothing says glam like hair matted together in shiny glossed chunks, not to mention shimmery snail trails of lip gloss that have ended up all over your cheeks as you have tried to peel off the strands of hair stuck to your face. Fabulous.

That's what brings me to these little beauties. Lancome Star Bronzer Glossy Lip Nectar. This product gets some serious Big Love from the Waffler. I'm not sure exactly how long these lip nectars have been on the market, but I have been addicted ever since my first purchase. I have all the colours (ah, yes, all three, sometimes I just go crazy I tells ya) and I always have at least one in my handbag.

What I love about the lip nectar (aside from the bronze gold flecked tones) is that there is absolutely no stickiness, just a lovely, shimmery sheen. It's a perfect everyday gloss with each of the colours leaving a natural, subtle shine on your lips. What's not to love about that hey Peeps ?

Now although this has absolutely nothing to do with lip gloss, I just wanted to say that I might seem a little all over the place with my blog posts at the moment. I am trying to work out exactly where my little blog fits in, which is why you may find me talking about cats one minute, and lip gloss the next. Just roll with me okay. Think of it like a lucky dip, you just never know what you'll find.

Disclaimer : I am in no way affiliated with Lancome. These are products I have purchased and I am endorsing them because I think they are great. That is all.

Babs, you is lookin' hawt.

Hi Peeps, sorry it's been a bit quiet on the blog front lately, I've been busy hangin' out with my best girl, Babs. We've been shootin' the breeze, sharing a spot of bubbly and discussing ohsohawt trends as I work to get my styling mojo on.

Babs is working out pretty well as a styling model. I mean, sure, she's got all those nasty bald patches that we have to work around. Not to mention those layers that really make braiding a biatch. But she's ever so gracious and utters nary a squeak when I get her strands caught in my rings.

But be warned Peeps, once she's knocked back a glass of changers, suddenly it's all about her...moaning about not having a body, lamenting about the purple, sparkly lipstick that is soooooo last season, and Ken....oh dear...don't even get her started on Ken....

Love.

Dear Coach,

I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am that it has come to this. I know this might not make things any easier, but it's not you, it's me...well, actually, it is a bit you, but mostly, it's me. To be fair, I think we had a pretty good run really. We've had some laughs, produced two (for the most part) lovely children, travelled ALL the way from Victoria to Queensland. Let it not be said that there weren't good times along the way.

But, I am afraid, I have fallen head over heels for another. It wasn't expected, but that visit from the postman changed my life. I know you may roll your eyes, you may say that it's just a passing fad, nothing more then a silly girly brush crush. But I think you may be wrong and I just hope you understand. Best of luck with all your future endeavours, and I can only hope that one day the perfect shaving brush will come into your life and that you too will find true happiness.

Cheers.

Waffles

My brush crush : laura mercier secret camouflage *sigh*

How Now Brown Brow.

Due to an overwhelming response on Twitter (a big shout out to all four of you) and my irrepressible desire to impart wisdom like a a wisened guru on a mountain top (well, I've got the mountain top part covered), today we are going to talk eye brows.

I don't mean to imply that I am an expert in the field of brows, but I have been rather obsessed with creating the perfect brow shape ever since I was old enough to to wield a pair of tweezers. I also notice beautiful brows and it never ceases to amaze me the difference well groomed brows make. Even if make-up isn't really your thing, taming unruly brows will instantly open your eyes (especially when you're plucking the hairs, but we both know that's not what I'm talking about here, don't we) and give you a more polished look. Yes, it takes a little effort, but gals, there's nothing sexy about having a couple of caterpillars scurrying across your forehead.

The first step in brow management is working out exactly where the lines should start, finish and arch. The easiest way to do this is to take a thin handled make-up brush (like the pink, fine point Kroylan # 0 pictured below) and position it so that the handle creates a line starting at the edge of your nostril (not IN your nostril...ewww) and goes straight up to your hairline. This is the where your eyebrow should start (all together now, mono brow, mono brow, be gone). Then angle the brush so that it lines up with the outer edge of your eye. This is where your eyebrow should finish. Lastly, angle the brush so that the line runs just off centre of your iris, this should give you your arch point. Keep in mind that all of these lines are just a guide and if you're really uncertain about jumping in headfirst with a pair a tweezers and a sense of wild abandon, then go and visit a professional who can start you off with the perfect shape that you can maintain.

Right, now that we have got our shape worked out, we need to look at tools. It's all about the tools Peeps. These are my eyebrow taming essentials : Super Goop (this is a hair gel that is cyclone proof and I just love it, a gloop of goop and my brows are super glued into submission). An eyelash/brow comb. A fine tip brush. A pair of flat end tweezers and an ultra cheapo, very soft, brown eye pencil (I have tried the harder lead eyebrow pencils, but found them more difficult to work with. I also found that powders gave me less control and precision, but that's just me)

Okay, now that you have all the tools we can begin. You take a tiny gloop of goop (really, less is more with this stuff), pop it on the brush end of your brow/lash comb and apply it from the roots of your eyebrow hairs toward your hairline. Then you can wipe off any excess goop on your brush (don't start going all Goop crazy) and gently brush the hairs into the shape you desire. Once you are happy with the overall shape (don't sweat any small gaps) you take your soft pencil, colour a big blobby circle on the back of your hand and use the brush to apply the pencil into any gaps. If you have a super steady hand, you can apply the pencil directly, but be warned, this can sometimes lead to 'scary grandma brows' which are all pencil, no hair, eek.

Anyway, it's not really rocket science, but I hope this might help some of you wondering how to tackle the fearsome hairy beasts. As with most things, it may involve some trial and error. You may prefer an actual eyebrow gel with a more flexible finish, you may like a touch of eyebrow powder at the end for a softer finish. Just remember gals, those nicely coiffed ladies standing at the cosmetic counters aren't just for show, go and ask them for advice, it's their job and they, more then anyone, understand the battle of the brow.

"Man, you've got one crazy cat."

Today I would like to talk to you about Fat Cat. The idea for this post came to me at 3 am this morning as I listened to Fat Cat yowling and pacing around the house like a caged panther. She does that sometimes, actually, she does that most nights. I guess in this particular instance Fat Cat was simply expressing her displeasure. She doesn't like encountering closed bedroom doors, nor does she like being left out in the rain. I'm sure you can imagine the expression on her face when I let her in the back door after she had been head butting the cat flap for some time. Not only was her forehead slightly flattened, but she was also doing the I've got a wet tail and back paws jiggle, oh, the indignity of it all.

Fat Cat came to us quite some time ago. Her exact age has now become somewhat of an urban legend. Two weeks ago I guessed she was fifteen, last weekend The Coach pegged her at eighteen, all we know for certain is that she is at least over thirteen (due to the fact that we had her before we got married). Anyway, the fact is that she's quite old, but I think she missed the memo.

Fat Cat still likes to gallop, I would use the term run but really, if you were in the other room and you heard the noise, you would definitely think a small horse was doing laps up and down the hallway. If only I had known how much joy could be found in one wayward bead I could have saved a fortune on cat toys.

Aside from the fact that she likes to gallop, Fat Cat often seems to be experiencing some form of species identity crisis. She will follow you anywhere, even for a stroll up the street, if that's where you're heading. And she will lie next to your feet when you stop. I'm sure she would bark at you if she could. She also likes to position herself in the centre of the kitchen and will stare up at you, meowing and lifting a paw if you talk to her. Cat, horse, dog, person ? No wonder she's confused.

Fat Cat came into our lives as a palm sized, four week old stray kitten and has shown us time and time again that alley cat blood runs through her veins. She has terrorised the husband of a friend, who was a policeman no less. She has chased The Coach's younger (but fully grown) brother down the hallway. She has hidden under a car and launched an attack on an unsuspecting doberman who much to the embarrassment of it's owner, howled and attempted to run into the hills. And she has taken on the pizza delivery car, but in that case, the pizza delivery car won.

I know that Fat Cats days with us are numbered, after all, she is somewhere between 70 and 89 human years old (depending on who you talk to and how many wines have been consumed) and her departure will leave a gaping hole in the Waffler household. So tonight, when I am woken up at the wee hours by the pacing and yowling, rather than grumbling I will give her a tickle under the chin and pop her back on her tower of cushions. We love you Fat Cat.

My Creative Space

Swirling pretty blues around with the softest of brushes. Searching for gentle soothing tones which I hope will blend perfectly in the nursery of a wee babe whom I haven't yet met. I do so hope this picture will meet with the young sirs approval.

And just so you know, there isn't an invisible horse between his legs, *sheesh* Coach.

There's a ton of creativity over at Kirsty's, why don't you pop on over and take a peek.

The Mascara Advertising Experiment.

As some of you are aware I am a qualified make-up artist. Naturally this means that I have applied one or two coats of mascara in my time. It is also the reason why mascara advertising really gives me the pip. In fact there is one particular advert that really gets my blood boiling. Not only does the model photographed have blatantly obvious false eye lashes on, I would also say that the photograph has been heavily altered with a photo shop package. Either that or the model is actually from a species of space aliens who are related to camels and as such, have the longest, thickest, most voluptuous eye lashes EVER. Now in fairness to the cosmetic brand, they do state in microscopic writing that lash inserts (*snort* if you wanna call full bar lashes inserts) were used for consistency. But really, how many people would see that ? How many first time mascara users will scadoodle off to the shops and come home expecting an eye lash miracle ? And how many first time mascara consumers will compare their own lashes to the ones in the advert and think that they have done something wrong and will possibly give up on using mascara all together ?

I know, I know, I'm ranting, but I get frustrated because I constantly come across women who say "Oh, I don't use make-up, I don't know how." Of course it's hard when you are faced with unrealistic end result images.

So anyway, today I thought I would show you the difference between what you will realistically end up with, and what some cosmetic brands would have you believe your end results should be. And just for the record, I really like the mascara brand that I use. It may not give me the dramatic full body and volume it claims, but it has a great consistency, gives nice results and stays put in our humid conditions. That's three big pluses as far as I'm concerned.

No mascara

A coat of mascara which promised full body and volume.

With the addition of a line of bar lashes.


With computer enhancement.

So how about you ? Does this kind of advertising really annoy you or do you think it is just widely accepted that most of what we see in magazines these days is a created with smoke and mirrors.

I Love a Sunburnt Country...

I love Australia. I really do. I spent my youth enjoying living in Victoria and now I am embracing calling Queensland home. To top it all off I adore the mountain, it is my idea of perfection. But part and parcel of living in a semi-tropical environment surrounded by bushland is the creepy, crawly, slithery, web spinning, blood sucking critters who also happen to think that this is a pretty darn fabulous place to lay down their hats and set up a welcome mat.

Last night one of these aforementioned unwelcome intruders did stealthily creep inside our humble abode (well actually it could have been making an incredible ruckus by teeny, tiny standards, but I guess until the cockroaches start speaking English, we'll never really know). And the intruder looked just like this......

Image

In fact, I am certain that this was the exact intruder, so how she managed to get a mug shot on the University of Sydney website, one can only imagine. This little critter, for those of you who are blissfully unaware, is an adult paralysis tick. Nasty, nasty little blighters they are.

As I am still awaiting the crime unit, I don't know exactly how she managed the break and enter, but she may have taken the Fat Cat Express or hitched a ride in on The Coaches baseball cap. Small and cunning, no wonder she is considered one of our greatest adversities on the mountain.

Anyway, to cut a long (they don't call me The Waffler for nothing you know) story short, at exactly 12.17am The Coach came hurtling into the bedroom saying he needed my help. The horrid tick had taken up residency on poor little Petal's face, right between her nose and her left eye.

Being the calm and collected mama that I am, I assessed the situation, grabbed my trusty bottle of Tea Tree Oil, a cotton tip and my pointy tweezers and set about removing the unwelcome invader. Petal went back to sleep with a cold, wet face cloth over her eye and Madam Tick was unceremoniously sent to the rubbish bin. Sorry Madam Tick, but your home invasion days are over.

Today Petal looks as though she went a few rounds with a heavy-weight boxer. She'll be fine but the site will be itchy and sore for at least a few days, if not until the end of the week.

So yeah, I love this country with all of my heart, but if all the ticks, deadly spiders and snakes were to decide to seek greener pastures, it really wouldn't bother me, not one little bit.