A Family Outing - Mt Dandenong

Hubby & I took our Little Miss to the Dandenongs for the first time on the weekend. It was a perfect sunny day, & the area was abuzz with people: young families, elderly couples, young couples, tourists, cyclists, locals, & the odd motorbike rider or 2. We stopped at Sassafras & Olinda. Here are some of the highlights from our day:

Tea Leaves - a store full of tea, coffee, teapots, infusers, mugs, chocolate-coated coffee beans & more. If you enjoy your tea, or know someone who does, it's definitely worth a visit. It's at 380 Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras, next to Miss Marples Tearoom (another fabulous place which we didn't visit this time around, as our pram was very likely going to be in everyone's way on a busy Sunday afternoon).

Olinda Cafe - a spacious cafe which also has a produce store where you can sample jams, relishes & other yummy local produce. The cafe menu was quite good & the staff were courteous, fast & helpful. Easy access for a pram. 17-19 Olinda-Monbulk Rd, Olinda

Westminster Gifts - my favourite store in the Dandenongs. It has such beautiful gifts, you could spend quite some time in there, as I usually do. They had some lovely French music playing (so I bought a cd), lots of French inspired gifts (I bought one of their canvas prints of the Eiffel Tower), bridal & baby gifts, Venetian masks, ceramics, lace, & so much more. It's a very pretty store. Hubby stayed outside with Little Miss, so she couldn't grab or break anything. It also gave me some valuable time alone to shop. 381 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras

The Dandenongs are a great day out (or half a day in our case). It's a relaxing day, whether you choose to do some shopping in one of the many little shops, have a picnic, hike on one of the many tracks, have breakfast or lunch, or just take a leisurely stroll. It's beautiful any time of year.

x  Kathy  x

Book Review - "What To Wear, Where" by Hillary Kerr & Katherine Power

For all the women out there who wear the same tired, uninspired clothes every day (especially mums who live in jeans & sneakers all the time), here is a book that will help you re-think your style choices. This book has tips & ideas on how to put clothes together to make your look seem effortless but fashionable & relevant.

Designed as a reference book, it alphabetically lists various occasions & has photos of the authors dressed in clothing that they recommend for each occasion. The authors also include tips on what not to wear, which is very handy. There's also a section at the back about their must-have wardrobe essentials.

Pick up this book & it'll show you what to wear for a number of different occasions, including: a job interview, a wedding, a concert, a kids' event, a family reunion, a first date, a barbeque, & even your daily errands.

You don't have to refer to it every day but, at those times when you're stuck for ideas, or when you know that the jeans & sneakers look has reached it's use-by date, you can flip through this book & get some great ideas. All the hard work is done for you. It might even help you find inspiration from the items in your wardrobe that haven't been worn in a while.

x Kathy x