Today I am thankful for.....

* some yummy Indian food, in the cutest Indian restaurant with two adorable girl friends. Nothing to warm both the body and heart like a good curry and great company before you brace the cold for some......

* ...SHOPPING!!! Korea's got the best markets ever and the jewellery is to die for! With less than 2 months left in Korea, I'm making sure that I stock up on enough sparkly stuff to last a lifetime (okay, maybe not a lifetime but at least for a while!)

* A Skype date with my amazing boyfriend! They are truly the highlight(s) of my week

* Winter is finally here!!! Now I can wear my favorite coats, scarfs and mittens again....

* Talking about mittens, my parcel for the "Cold hands, warm hearts" swap is ready and tomorrow I will send some cute pink goodies to the awesome Amy from Amy Couture.

* I finally found some Twinings Earl Grey tea here in Korea (should've probably thought of Costco's earlier) and now I can start and end my day again with my favorite drink!
(Did you know that Twinings was appointed as the tea of choice by Queen Elizabeth II? I didn't up until I read it on the cute little tin which the tea came in. I'm not surprised though!)

* Playing "hide and seek" with my student babies! They love it and so do I! Oh, how I love my job!!! Getting paid to have lots of fun is the best ever!!!

*I received my first Christmas card yesterday (from a student - it sings a little Christmas song :-) and my second today! I guess it means: CHRISTMAS IS IN THE AIR!!!!!!

What are you thankful for my dear blogger friends?

Image found here

Dearest NK, this message is for you:

 image found here

Priceless love

A girl friend send me a mail with the caption that it doesn't have to cost any money for a man to spoil the women he loves! This picture gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling and I just had to share....

...how true that showing your love doesn't require a big bank balance or flashy car, but rather some creativity to make that special person feel like a prince(ss)!

Thankful Thanksgiving

Hope you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Being South-African, this was my first Thanksgiving ever and I had so much fun! My dearest friend Jill an her boyfriend Aaron invited us over and together we shared in this thankful fest with some mashed potatoes, roast Chicken (because Turkey is impossible to find here in Korea) and yummy side dishes! Sadly, no Pumpkin Pie was to be found either so we opted for apple pie instead!

I LOVE Thanksgiving and I am planning to go on celebrating this holiday, regardless .....

So often we don't get to pause and be thankful for all those things that make our cup runneth over, so I thought 'Id share a view here on my blog:

* First of all, I am thankful to God for blessing me so richly. It is from Him that all these other things come and I'm in awe of His love for me!

* I am thankful for my awesome family - my mom and two sisters - who definitely brighten my life with their awesomeness.

* I am so thankful for Chris - not only is he the best kisser in the world, but he is my best friend and the one person who really gets me. I am so incredibly thankful to be blessed with such an amazing, wise, good looking, caring, hard working, patient, supportive boyfriend who makes me giggle all the time and never lets me cry!

* I am thankful for my girl friends who fills my life with lots of laughter, cups of tea, girl talk and shopping! My life would've been dull without them.

* I am thankful for a job that warms my heart each day and give real purpose to my life, little kiddos whom I love to love and a co-teacher/friend that really makes my job such a joyous affair.

* I am thankful for an dream-come-true opportunity to live in Asia and travel the world

* I am thankful for all the joy that blogging has brought me.

* Oh, and then I am also thankful for strawberry yogurt, Earl Grey tea, macaroons and yellow!



Image found here

Tea for three

On Wednesdays, two of my closest girl friends and I have a standing date to go for a cup of tea with lots of girl talk and some shopping afterwards! I love our Wednesday "girl time" and we even cutely named our weekly date "Tea for Three". Chris love to tease me about it, but I dont care! I cannot imagine my week without the company of these very special girls who I absolutely adore!

(Oh, and if you  are wondering: Yes, those are matching scarves. We also have matching earrings! Really girly and silly of us...especially seeing that we are all on the wrong side of 20 but if you can't be silly with your girl friends, who can you be silly with?)

Blogging....a hundred years ago!

Have you ever wondered what life without blogging must've been like?

Well, judging from these adorable vintage photographs,  not much different at all!!!!

Although snailmail was used instead of cyberspace, these cuties still found a way to tell the world about....

(grey+white pinstripe suit/ black plastic shoes/white blouse/corsage=4 white carnations and 2 red roses. Arent I a stinker?)

....their daily outfits

(I love you)

Love....

(the best is yet to come)

...and marriage!

(Betty, shoveling it down)

Fun with friends and family.....

(I didnt want my picture taken now!)

Some preferred staying anonymous

....while others liked to use photoshop

(he's the sun)

Quirky quotes to match dreamy photographs is apparently nothing new!

(Lois Appelgate: her usual pose)

 Some liked to share info on their daily activities.....

(lost weekend)

....or weekend adventures.

(Just remember darling, Ive got a tag on you and you are not for sale. All my love, Jimmy)

Tagging each other wasnt impossible either!

(waiting for the "male")

...and just like us, these cuties checked their mail on a regular basis!

I found these adorable vintage  photographs here 

Domestic goddess!

I am ashamed to admit that cooking really never use to be my thing! I wish it was - I admire women like Julia Child, Martha Steward and, of course, the very lovely Nigella Lawson!  They are so feminine and I love how able they are in the kitchen. "Able in the kitchen"...well, that is not exactly me!  Its not due to a lack of interest though! I really tried being a good cook and I really tried enjoying it too but after some serious mishaps like a bubbling chocolate cake (too much baking powder) and Salmon pasta that tasted like cat food, I kind of got disheartened. Lately however, with an appreciative "guinny pig" like Chris, who would really eat anything I dish up, the "foodie" in me has been awakened....again! I catch myself paging through recipy books and visiting food blogs....and I kind of like it! With a domestic muse who recently came to visit, together with these photographs by the very amazing Beatrice Peltre, I have been inspired to spend some time in the kitchen....

....even if its just to take such beautiful photographs of my cullinary creations!!!

Pretty pretty post-it!

The Ginko Biloba is my favorite tree. In Korea, they grow everywhere and I just love the leaves that looks like little oriental fans!

So naturally,when I saw these ginko inspired sticky notes by Korean designer Sangwoo Nam, they stole my heart!

If you want to read more, go here

7 things....

The lovely Marie from Les 3 Castafiores was kind enough to award me with the Versatile Blogger Award and I must admit that I am beyond thrilled and very honored by this kind gesture! Thanks so much Marie!!!

This award entails that I reveal seven truths about myself and then pass this award on to seven blogs I love (who must then also reveal 7 truths)

Well, here goes:

If I could have one wish, it would be to have "green fingers". I love gardening, plants and flowers but for some reason gardening, plants and flowers does'nt love me. I am very ashamed to admit that I am responsible for the death of 10 (yes 10!!!!!!) orchids!

I am a complete neurotic and one of the scariest things for me is falling in love.

After majoring in Art History, I studied and worked for an Interior Decorator before I decided to become a teacher. (Want to know the story, go read it here). I will always have a soft spot for decorating though and although I love teaching,  I dream about owning a cute little decor shop... flower shop...and  coffee shop which serves it's beverages in vintage porcelain!

Chris and I have been dating for a year and a half.... of which we spend a year apart - him being an engineer in South Africa and me teaching little Korean kiddos some English! Its hard, I wont lie but back then it seemed like the only way for us both to "have our cake and eat it"! With only two months left of being apart, I am really happy that this long distance learning curve is coming to an end!!

I am a big Francofile and love everything French - macaroons, monogrammed linens, red wine-cheese- baguette lunches, the Eiffel tower.....the list goes on and on!!! Oh, how I dream about living in beautiful Paree for (at least) a year or two!

I dont like killing bugs (or anything for that matter) and it breaks my heart if anybody in my company do so! I even have a hard time killing mosquito's! Therefore I am extremely thankful to have a boyfriend who also prefer to catch bugs and set them free, rather than killing them! Well, most bugs anyway......he isn't as lenient as I am on mosquitoes!

Chocolate is'nt on my top 10 list of "favorite things"- I much prefer gummies and I LOVE yogurt!!!

Love and Stuff

Kirra Sue

Amy Couture

The Others Side of the Moon

Oh, Mishka

Everything Inbetween

Adorable Optimism

Oh, and be sure to go check out Marie's blog! She is French but lives in the states and her blog is such a treat!!!

In a perfect world.......

....I would decorate my apartement just like this pretty place owned by Swedish stylist and photographer, Elisabet Dunker.

Luckily....

...it's not impossible to create your own perfect world!

If you would like to see more of this pretty place, go here!

Wise words # 1

You cannot find yourself, only create yourself.

—Anne B. Sekel

Just because.....

...you make my heart beat a little faster!

Image found on www.ruffledblog.com



Hibernating...

The fact that I currently have a nasty cold might have contributed, but this entire weekend I have been hibernating in my little apartment whilst the rest of Korea braced the cold and wind outside. Curled up in my bed, with comfy winter PJ's (dont you just love winter PJ's?) and endless cups of tea, I did however make a few discoveries that I am thankful for:

* Skype dates with Chris is the best medicine ever because they instantly make me feel better! Med-lemon is a close second!

*Roald Dahl! This man is a genius (this I knew before!)

*Rooibos tea is the best!! My mom send some from SA with the last care package and I usually use them sparingly since I have another 2 months left before going home, but Im convinced that they are a great cold cure (well, the do make me feel better although it doesnt take my sniffles away) so this weekend I indulged

*Special K with a teaspoon of honey! My staple food and so yummy!

* Sometimes it's wonderful to do absolutely nothing!

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

(credit: image by www.typepad.com)

The prettiest cup of tea!

I'm quite convinced that this is the prettiest presentation of tea I have ever seen!

To combine two of my favorite things - origami and tea - well.... is exactly my "cup of tea"!

Designed by Natalia Ponomareva from Russia, you can go read more here

The perfect Friday night!

For the past 10 months, Chris and I have been doing the whole "long distance relationship" thing. This means that while our friends are out doing the things that normal people do, we spend the entire Friday evening chatting away on Skype.

I  can not think of a better way to spend my Friday nights than Skype dates with my favorite person in the whole wide world!!

(Well, okay, perhaps there is one better way – a real date with my favorite person in the whole wide world, would certainly take the cake!)

(credit: image by www.weheartit.com)

Happy Pepero Day

Here in the great Republic of South Korea, we love to love each other!!!

This is why there is a staggering amount of 20 days specially set aside to celebrate L.O.V.E. Not only is the 14th of each month devoted to spoiling your favorite person in the whole world, but there are also "White day", "Yellow Day" and my favorite..... "Pepero Day". "Pepero", you ask? Well, Pepero is actually the name of a brand of cookie - long, thin wafer sticks dipped in chocolate - and on November, 11th (chosen because when you write it down as 11/11, it represents 4 sticks of Pepero) we hand out Pepero to all the people we love.

Today was Pepero Day and boy, did I have fun....and allot of Pepero!

If you would like to read more about Pepero day go visit this website here.

Today I am thankful for....

.......thrift store shopping!!!

If there is one thing I really, REALLY love, it is thrift store shopping! More often than not, I am amazed at the treasures found in these dusty, filled-to-the-brim shops and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world when I stumble across a beauty that someone else thought insignificant enough to discard!
My favorite thing to shop for in thrift stores (or markets), is vintage porcelain - especially those in pretty pastels from the 1950's. Lately, my thrift store obsession is coats though. With the cold Korean winter just around the corner, I am on the lookout for the perfect winter coat(s), and boy, have I found some pretty ones!

Now combine thrift store shopping with a coffee date and a friend that loves thrift store shopping even more than I do, and you've got yourself a success story!


(credit: image by www.wehearit.com)

Puppy love

I want a puppy!!!!
 It's really bad!!! Especially if you keep in mind that I am actually a "cat person".  But lately something strange is happening!?!! I see owners with their puppies in the streets, and my eyes fill with tears. I see cute little puppy stuff and I have to use all my will power to refrain from buying it for "one day"! Of course, its completely crazy, I'm living in Asia  and travelling all the time, so getting a puppy would be completely unfair! But I want a puppy.....with all my heart..... to love and cuddle ....and dress up, like this cutie pie!

Oh, and Elle from Love&Stuff asked me a question! If you'd like to see what I answered to "I will never forget the day....", go pop in at her lovely blog here.

Love and Stuff.......on Jupiter.

You know that feeling when you stumble across a blog and it only takes you a few seconds to decide that you are SOOOO going to follow this pretty place in cyberspace? Well, that is exactly how I felt when fate let me cross paths with Elle from Love&Stuff

Ofcourse I just had to find out a bit more about this lovely lady, and it turned out that we had quite a bit in common! Not only is Elle South-African, but she lives just around the corner from me in a little scenic town called Stellenbosch! Oh, and we share a love for sewing and Polaroids!!!

If you could name your biography, what would the title be?

Uhm, not a clue... Something like ‘The blond and brunette of me.’ (My life changed so much when I went from blond to brunette about 4 years ago)

What is your favorite color?

Green (and pink)

What would you choose if you had a choice in your last supper?

A giant Butlers Pizza, chocolate mousse and a chocolate milkshake.

Do you have a "love" philosophy?

If it feels easy it’s because it’s right. You know those relationships where you are working your ass off, not worth it.

What makes you happy?

Lots of Chocolate, gorgeous sunny days, visiting my parents back home and obviously the Boyfriend and Knox.

Any pet peeves?

Sent of the Day Twitter Tweets! And when you enter Mr. Price and they tape your shopping bags shut (anti theft) so you have to claw your way through once you get home.

What do you blog about?

Just about life, my love of writing and sharing something special.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

It used to be check Twitter (sad I know). Now it’s taking Knox out for his early morning wee.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning person.

The number one item on your Christmas list is...

Sewing machine and new perfume.

Please do yourself a favor and go pop in at  Love&Stuff You wont regret it!!!!

Also, feast your eyes on Betty's blog- the driving force behind  "Blog it forward"

If you would like to make a guest appearance here on Jupiter, mail me at truchenv@gmail.com.