.Baby no more.

Well, she will be for a few more days...
Lil has all of a sudden turned into a "big girl" and the baby hasn't even arrived yet...I'm feeling sad that I only have a few days (or hours!) left for her to be my baby.

As a baby, she was super-easy. Very relaxed, was always happy to just sit back and watch what was going on around her and really happy.

Then she turned 1...attitude kicked in, she became more determined and independent. Of course she was still a lovely little girl, she just became a bit more difficult to parent. I had to try different strategies that I hadn't had to with Oscar, she knew how to push my buttons (maybe a girl thing?) Mum received a Deseret Book catalogue in the mail one day which advertised a book "How To Raise Your Strong-Willed Child" and we joked about how I should buy it!

We slowly got into a good groove, worked out how to best deal with her attitude - although she still isn't an angel! I like to call her "spirited" - nothing worse than a boring kid with no personality! Lil definitely has her fair share of personality. She makes us laugh constantly. She is clever too...knows how to wrangle her way out of getting into trouble and has everyone wrapped around her little finger.

This last month she has become really cuddly. It is the sweetest thing. A large portion of my day is spent sitting on the couch with her having a "cuggle" or letting her lift up my top to blow raspberries on my stomach. Every morning she comes into our bed and lies on top of me, her littlte bottom wriggling around and her head burrowed into my shoulder while she has a little snuggle to get ready for the new day. Meanwhile, the growing baby is kicking and pushing her from inside, protesting the heavy lump imposing on its home!

I am trying to make the most of each moment we have left with her as the baby of the family. I know that as soon as the new baby is born she is going to seem soooo grown up and independent and I am hanging onto her "babiness" for as long as I can now.

(on a side note...I am feeling MUCH better now. Still have a stuffy head and a cough that I know is going to take awhile to go away, but no where near as bad as I was last week. Thankyou so much for your well-wishes and kind comments. I felt so spoiled last week as I had friends bring dinner over a couple of times (isn't that the BEST...when you are feeling rotten and know that you don't have to worry about organising dinner in the evening?), Oscar and Lil were invited to have a play morning with Eli on Friday - I actually slept in a dead-quiet house for 1 hour...it felt SO good! And I even received some special treats (yes, all in the chocolate form...) in the mail. Now I am feeling ready for the baby to come. We found out Oscar and Lil's genders before they were born and this time we have opted for a surprise...I think it makes a HUGE difference not knowing what it is going to be. I am so anxious to find out and kill this suspense! Hopefully not too much longer now...I should probably get around to packing my bag!)

.hair cut.

I did it. It feels so good to have short hair again. I didn't know why I was so unhappy with my long hair, as I had long, long hair for the first 24 years of my life and loved it! I really wanted to long hair, but couldn't stand wearing it out because it was so thick and heavy. The hairdresser told me that when you are pregnant you don't lose any hair (did you know that? I didn't!) and then lots of people still don't lose hair if they are breastfeeding - something to do with hormonal changes in the body. So, since I was pregnant with Oscar, I have pretty much been pregnant or breastfeeding for 4 1/2 years - which means 4 1/2 years of no hair falling out!

I would have liked to go lighter, but ended up just getting thin blonde foils because I know that in 6 weeks time I would be battling bad re-growth and don't want to have to go to the hairdressers so often. I wish I could do some blonde dying at home, but am too scared I will stuff it up!

I'm not really happy with the cut either, it is kind of "bobbish" instead of styled, but the hairdresser said to pop back in a few days after I have had a play and she would change it if I want. Anyway, a change is always good and we will be saving a lot on shampoo and conditioner now!!

.on labour, flu and baby preparedness.

Why do things like a bad dose of the flu always come at the most inopportune times?

Jaron and I have both been struck with a nasty case of the flu. He got it mid-last week and is just starting to recover now. Poor thing didn't take any time off work becuase he is saving his days off for when I have the baby. At least he can ease it a bit with medicine. I started feeling yucky on Saturday morning and by Saturday night I was really feeling bad. For some reason, Oscar and Lil both decided they would wake up multiple times during the night, so it seemed like I was up every hour either settling them, going to the toilet or being awake feeling sick. (All in good preparation for sleepless nights with a newborn, I'm sure!)

And then I started to worry about going into labour. My first two labours have been really positive experiences. I won't go into details and can't even really explain how I feel about them, but I actually really enjoy (perhaps not the right word?) labour. Yes, it hurts bad and I think I am going to die, but there is something exhillirating and liberating about it. I want this one to be the same, positive experience and since I have been sick have been really stressed out about having a horrible labour, going into it feeling awful already and having no energy.

Little baby, feel free to hang around in there for another week or two. I'm happy to be uncomfortable pregnant-wise to give myself a bit of recovery time and feel back up to it again! Today is much better, the kids slept last night and the razor sore throat has almost gone. Still all sinusey and have sore ears and head, but I can feel it getting better.

I haven't sewed anything new for this baby yet and I am itching to make some stuff for it. The hard thing is not knowing if I am having a boy or a girl. This is the first time we haven't found out and it is killing me! So, last week I made this really simple, minkee-backed blanket. There are so many beautiful fabrics around that I just don't want to cut into to turn into a pieced quilt, so I opted for keeping the fabric on the front of the quilt whole (aren't those grumpy owls adorable?!) and backing with a plain white minkee, then sewing on a thick binding out of left-over fabric from another project. Jaron thinks it is girly-looking, I was more inclined to think it was boy-friendly, so I guess that makes it gender-neutral!!
I'm looking forward to sewing up a few more of these, hopefully this week. They are thin enough to wrap the baby in, but still warm and cosy.

I think I'm going to have to sew up quite a few more because this little miss keeps stealing it to cuddle her "buba" in. She is so into babies at the moment and wants to hold real ones when ever we see them. Hopefully her enthusiasm doesn't turn to jealousy when a real-life baby enters our house!

.MORE clothes for a spoilt girl.

I wish someone would provide me with a wardrobe of funky, designer clothes the way I do for Lil!

I seriously need to stop sewing for her because she is ending up with way too many clothes to choose from...but I just can't help myself! I'm having visions of a new baby girl heading our way so that all of these cute clothes can be worn again.

This is one of her Uptown Girl jackets. I made this one a size 2, so it is a tad big for her at the moment. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Alexander Henry bird fabric.
And ANOTHER jacket. I made this one because I wanted to test out using the thicker-weight pellon. It is quite a bit puffier, but still not too chunky. This one is a size 1 and a much more snug fit.
And her little Flirty Skirts outfit. I love the red/white/pink combination and, best of all, this was made entirely using fabrics in my scrap box.
Thanks so much for the uplifting comments on my last post. Yesterday was a MUCH better day...I went to bed early, no one woke up during the night and I had a really good sleep. Its amazing what a good night's rest can do for a stressed out mind!! Now I'm feeling the need for a bit of a treatment. I've been craving going short and blonde again, but thought I would wait until after the baby is born. Now I'm thinking I might change my plans and do it BEFORE and go and have a bit of a pamper...

.2 weeks tomorrow...and counting.

Today consisted of floor washing and scrubbing with a scourer. Then, half an hour later, Oscar was busting to go to the loo and left it too late and weed all over the toilet floor. So I had to wash it again.
Lil cried non-stop from 4pm-6pm. I was really losing it with her. Then I realised that all she had eaten since breakfast was a mandarin, 2 rice cakes, a few crackers and my left-over apple core. I forgot to feed her. She ate all of her dinner.
I was absolutely exhausted all afternoon. I didn't want to get off the couch but I had to because there were dirty nappies to be changed, drink bottles of water tipped onto the tiles to make rivers (which ended up being deadly slip-hazards for Lil) to be soaked up, arguments to be sorted, washing to be folded, and dinner to be prepared (admittedly, dinner turned out to be baked bean and cheese toasted sandwiches).
I feel like a heffalump, I'm sick of all of my clothes, I cut my head out of all of these photos because I don't like my puffy face.

Sorry if you came for an uplifting read...I'm keeping it real today.

(And now, hopefully, after having a good whinge I will stop feeling sorry for myself and tomorrow will be a better day.)

.Recipe Monday.

Irresistible, sweet little pieces of heaven...

Lemon Coconut Slice

1/2 cup condensed milk
100g butter
200g Nice biscuits
1 cup coconut
2 tsp grated lemon rind

Icing
2 cups icing sugar
40g butter, softened
2 1/2 Tbs lemon juice

Line slice tin with baking paper.
Combine condensed milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir for 4-5 minutes until butter has melted.
Process biscuits. Combine with coconut and lemon rind in a bowl.
Add hot butter mixture to biscuit mixture and stir to combine.
Press into slice tin. Place in fridge to set for 1 hour.
To make icing, place icing sugar, butter and lemon juice in a small bowl. Beat with a spoon until smooth.
Spread over slice. Chill in fridge for an extra 30 minutes.

.We welcome the new addition to our family!.

No, we're not talking baby here...did I trick you?!

This is Jaron's new baby though - or maybe his girlfriend...he does refer to it as a "she" :)
Spoilt, I say. Although he has been driving a total bomb to and from work for the last year and it has been quite unreliable and more trouble than it was worth.

So, thankyou cousin S. for placing irresistible, evil temptations in my husband's way. He is extremely happy.

.inspired by the coin.

I need an "on-the-go" hand-sewing project that I can have ready for when I feel like having a sit on the couch and do some quiet stitching. I haven't had anything in progress for awhile, but knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Remember the kids beds? I put together some fabric to make them a quilt each back when we painted the beds. The plan is to have white sheets and doona covers, then "decorating" the beds with a fun quilt.

Lately, I have been really inspired by quilts which feature a lot of white, especially Coin Quilts. Here are some favourites from flickr:

Image from ariel quilts

Images from trinasdoings

Image from Red Pepper Quilts

Image from handmadebyalissa

Here is the start...I've pieced all of the "coins" and hopefully tonight will get to sew in the white sashing between the strips. I'll do all of the piecing for the front by machine, then spend some slow, sewing time hand-quilting on the couch. Perfect activity for cold, winter evenings...

.birds nest and some randoms.

This little miss presents us with a nicely matted birds nest every morning. Occasionally I can be bothered trying to get it out. Like, once a week - then it takes an opened bottle of moisturiser to keep her entertained...she rubs cream all over her body while I delicately comb! Her hair is so soft and fine. I love it.
I love these photos of her, reading to her "buba" one morning. She is obsessed with books and being read to or reading to her toys. I don't know how many times a day she runs up to me, book in hand repeating "read it, read it" over and over and over.
Some other randoms...

This week has been full of late-night sewing marathons in hopes of getting myself ahead preparing some new patterns before the baby arrives so that I can have a bit of a break afterwards. I feel like I am on track so far.

Nesting has set in...yesterday the kitchen cupboards were cleaned out and re-arranged, fridge and microwave cleaned. Last week the walls and skirting boards were washed. A few more annoying, niggling jobs to get done on my list and I'll start to feel complete.

I know I must be getting big now because when I meet people I haven't seen for awhile a comment a bit like this follows: "ooohh, you've changed shape. Mustn't be long now" or "you must be ready to pop that baby out any day now" (doesn't every almost-full-term pregnant woman interpret that as "gee, you look fat all of a sudden!!") I forgot how much I dislike the last few weeks. I'm over being pregnant, but still happy to wait the 3 weeks I have left, I am just getting really tired of my clothes not fitting properly and feeling like a heffalump. My trackies are becoming my best friend! It will all be over in good time and then I'll be complaining about post-baby fat!!

Jaron and I are going out tonight to watch a local theatre production of "Sweeny Todd" - I don't know much about the story except something about a barber slitting throats...I'm not usually into gory, but a live production can't be that graphic! Last year we saw the same company put on "The King and I" and it was brilliant so we are really looking forward to it.

Jaron had another follow-up appointment at the hospital yesterday for his ankle. He doesn't have to wear the cast anymore (yay!) and can carefully walk on his foot again. He has gone from hopping, to hobbling and now a funny sideways limp.

Woah! Look at the time, almost 9am and no one is dressed or showered around here! We are having a quiet home day today - have a fun Friday what ever your plans!

.i want all of this.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this new range of fabric "Red Letter Day" from Lizzy House.

The ducks are adorable, the colours bright and fresh...I can think of so much I want to do with it!

I've put myself on a fabric spending hold for a little while, but I don't think it will last too long now that I have these delights to tempt me...

.A little birdie tells me...

...that Uptown Girl has hit the stores!! I have had SO MANY emails asking where people can purchase themselves a copy of the pattern - Kelani Fabric has let me know that they have received their order today and for 1 week only are offering a new pattern special of 10% off the regular price! Pick yourself up some fabric while you are there - the only problem will be choosing from their fantastic range!

Happy Sewing!!

.The family on the fridge again.

More family magnets. Mum's Mothers Day present...I think I need to make some of these magnets for our fridge because the kids LOVE playing with them. Lil likes to name all of the people and Oscar likes to sort them in lots of different ways - by colour, gender, family, age, etc. Was thinking it would be cool to make a puzzle out of a big family photo or some other picture that Oscar could do on the fridge because he loves puzzles. (Just another project to add to the list of things to do!!)

I didn't use tiles this time, got the Woodman to cut 5mm thick MDF into 7cm squares. I didn't paint the back or sides, just left them raw and I like the look.

These are REALLY the fastest, easiest gift to make - I got the Woodman to cut me extra squares this time so that I have them up my sleeve for a quick craft/present.

.Uptown Girl GIVEAWAY!.

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

I have one copy of my new Uptown Girl pattern to give away, easy peasy to enter - just leave a comment on this post. If you want an extra entry then mention this giveaway on YOUR blog. Make sure you tell me you have done this though (leave a comment or email me) so that I know to give you two entries.
Giveaway comments will close on Thursday afternoon (Australian time).

Don't be shy now...you know you gotta be in it to win it!

.Recipe Monday.

Happy Monday!

First of all, I need to say THANKYOU so much for the Uptown Girl jacket love! I was blown away by how well it was received and by how many requests were made to offer the pattern in adult size. I can see that working SO well and will definitely be having a play around with it to see what I can come up with. Thankyou to everyone who has placed orders already - I know that Creative Abundance are working hard (as always!) and will be posting out VERY soon. If you want to pre-order a copy of the pattern, contact your local fabric store or send me and ask them to order one in for you if they haven't already. Will get around to posting a pattern giveaway this afternoon...

I woke up this morning to realise that I have had washing hanging on the line for THREE days! Talk about mega-baby brain...the thought didn't even cross my mind until I went to get some clothes out of my cupboard this morning and couldn't find a few things. Monday in our house is housework/washing day so that I don't have to do much more than a quick tidy up and vacuum for the rest of the week.

Recipe Monday today...this Vanilla Slice is a family favourite, I haven't ever featured it on Recipe Monday though because I forget to take a photo BEFORE we eat it and by the time I go to take a pic (usually the next day) it is looking a little worse for wear! Same thing happened this time around, except I went ahead a took a photo anyway - they are looking a little wonky and I had to re-spread the icing because it stuck to the lid of the container they were sitting in last night! But they are truly DELICIOUS!!

For the pastry, I usually take 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thaw it out and place on baking paper lined trays. Prick them all over with a fork and bake in oven until they are cooked. Then Mum and I remembered a family friend who used Arnotts Lattice biscuits in place of pastry, so I had a go last night. They are just as good and much less effort - but if you prefer a chewy pastry then go with the puff.

If you are put off by the amount of cream in the recipe, just substitue it all for milk. I've done it both ways and you actually can't tell the difference at all.

Vanilla Slice

2 x sheets puff pastry, cooked OR 2 packets Lattice biscuits
1 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup cornflour
1/2 cup custard powder
2 cups cream
2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla essence

Icing
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 Tbs soft margarine
milk or water

Line a large, square cake tin with baking paper so that the paper is fully covering the base and sides. (Make sure it hangs over the top a little then you can lift the whole slice out of the tin using the baking paper to make it easier to cut and serve.)

Place one pastry sheet or biscuits to cover the bottom of the tin.

Combine the sugar, cornflour and custard powder in a saucepan. Add the milk, cream and vanilla, stirring constantly over medium heat until it boils and thickens. Continue stirring until smooth.

Remove from heat and spread the custard over the pastry/biscuits in the tin, then cover with the other pastry sheet/biscuits. Refrigerate to cool completely.

To make icing, combine the icing sugar and butter in a small bowl. Add enough water or milk to stir to a spreading consistency.

Lift the slice out of the tin using the baking paper as handles. Ice the top and leave to set before cutting with a serrated knife.

.Uptown Girl.

I thought I should squeeze one more pattern in before this new baby makes its appearance...

Introducing:
Uptown Girl

The Uptown Girl jacket will keep your little girl warm and cosy, whilst still looking absolutely stunning during the cooler weather.

The jacket is completely reversible, ensuring maximum wear and versatility.

Soft, gentle gathers on both the front and back of the jacket add a feminine touch without being too fussy or frilly.

This jacket is destined to cuddle your little girl with stylish flair!
I'm really happy with how this jacket turned out. It is soft and comfortable, quick and easy to sew and will give you an excuse to still be able to wear designer cotton fabric during the cold weather!

I wasn't planning on the jacket being reversible, but as I was designing and sewing it just seemed like such a practical and resourceful option to include...I seem to have a thing for making reversible items of clothing - it just makes sense to me to do it if you can!

The jacket is padded with a light-weight pellon. It works really nicely, not too thick but still nice and warm. There are lots of options for change here though - you could go with a thicker pellon or wadding for a puffier jacket or could use a home decorating weight fabric or cord and no padding for a lighter, warmer weather jacket.
So, if you are looking for a fun, stylish winter sewing project for your little girl, then look no further! Head over to the Make It Perfect website to see more photos and check out the fabric requirements for Uptown Girl.

If you have a store and want to stock this or any other Make It Perfect patterns, contact Creative Abundance to place an order.

If you would like to purchase a copy of Uptown Girl for yourself, they should be popping up in retail stores very soon. Ask your favourite store to get one in for you!
Once again, a big thankyou to Chelsea for her stunning photography! And to Zoe, the sweetest little model ever - doesn't she have the cutest smile and puppy dog eyes?!

Stay tuned for a pattern giveaway coming up in a couple of days... ;)

.ripe.

So, I'll be the first to admit that this pregnancy has lacked the excitement, anticipation and waiting that the other two held. Not that we don't want this baby, nothing like that, its just that time seems to have flown by extremely fast this time. We haven't really had a chance to sit down and talk or think about what a third child is going to do to our family mix. It seems like only a few weeks ago that I was starting to pull out my maternity clothes and, now it is only 4 weeks until our little one is going to make his or her appearance.

Finally though, I can say that I have started to feel a twinge of excitement about having a newborn baby in our home again. I'm at the stage now where I would rather have a baby than be pregnant. I get clucky when I see a little baby. I can't wait to have another little one to snuggle into, rock and pat again. I'm looking forward to seeing how Oscar and Lil react to their little brother or sister.

Our family doctor is an old, old man - like in his 70s at least. He is the most lovely, gentleman though and is really on the ball when it comes to medicine. I remember taking Lil into him when she was 5 or 6 months old and as I started to tell him what was troubling her, he looked at me said "shh" and proceeded to have a full-on conversation with Lil in this weird snake-hissing language. It was the weirdest thing, but she totally focused on him and was goo-ing and gaa-ing back at him and after they went on like that for a few minutes he told me what she had said to him, diagnosed her and we were off on our merry way! I saw him a few days ago and he asked if I was having any braxton hicks contractions yet (which I am) and he said "well that's lovely dear. Yes, yes, you are getting nice and ripe."

Ripe. Just how I am feeling at the moment. The list of things to do before the baby is born is getting added to just as quickly as I am crossing things off. The house is starting to appear dirty and I feel like I need to spend a day scrubbing everything so that I don't have to worry about it for a few weeks after the baby comes along. I am knocking the kids in the head with my big belly as I turn around. My body is aching, I'm moody and forgetful. All sure signs that this pregnancy is drawing to an end.

We're off to do the groceries now.