Instagram

Do you 'Instagram'?  I have had an account for a couple of years but this year, since moving back to Australia in January, I began to use it more and more.  I love it.  I love following people with similar interests and people who have nothing in common with me!  I only follow a couple of celebrities (Brendan Cowell makes me laugh) but I mostly just do it for me.  

So with an account of close to 500 photos stuck on my iPhone and on my computer, I googled the possibility of getting them printed up some way.  (As all photographs are square in shape, kind of makes it impossible to print them via any other means, except your own printer.)  

I struck gold when I came across an American company called 'Prinstagram'.  Awesome.  Different printing options of all shapes and sizes. Not at all expensive. But what caught my eye was a poster.  After selecting photographs from my account, it was sent off and arrived at my doorstep around two weeks later.  

The result is fabulous.  

It is normal poster size and I will get around to getting a frame for it.  (IKEA do have reasonable priced frames to fit this size) I love how it is a snapshot of the past eight months or so in Australia.

Are you on Instagram?  If you'd like to follow me (I have a private account), look me up - biglittlemelody. =)

Chevron

I love colours, I always have.  Sure I might not always pull colours off when I wear them but I know with my skin tone and hair colour that bold colours can work on me, rather than pale.  I am also a girl who likes stripes and chevron patterns.  So when I spied this lovely Chevron fabric my friend was offering from her fabric store in Brisbane, I snapped it up.  

It's a safe, be seen kind of skirt.  I love it.

I had enough fabric remaining to make a girl-sized skirt, which worked out beautifully.  

It is still listed for sale so some lucky little girl (aged 7-8-9) will be the fortunate owner of this skirt some day.

Mother's Day 2012

Hard to believe sometimes that these two little faces below belong to two little humans I helped make.  Weird.  

We had a pretty lovely day yesterday, celebrating Mother's Day.  MrL went and bought McDonald's for breakfast which I really appreciated.  (I usually cook us a breakfast every Sunday here in Australia and in Abu Dhabi I cooked breakfast every Friday.)

I did well with the Mother's Day present loot.  Perfume, a cook book and Monet chose well at the school Mother's Day stall.   She even gave me a present they had put together in her classroom.  "It's meant to be a joke Mum", Monet kept saying as I tried my hardest to compose myself and not cry.  lol.  (I spoke to a couple of other mothers at school today and they all said the same!)

Lunch time saw the four of go to one of my favourite spots in Cairns, to Mondo's.  There is something about this place I just enjoy.  I think the rest of Cairns thought the same with the number of people there!

Monet got a couple of comments from a couple of 20-something girls, who had taken their mother out for lunch.  I saw them looking at the four of us as we sat at the table next to them.  When they got up to leave about twenty minutes later, they came over to Monet and said that they seriously "loved" Monet's look, especially the frames.  "Keep wearing them, they are very, very cool and stylish..."  Such a giggle!  And then the mum piped in and said "Cool!" and gave Monet the big thumbs up.  Funny.

We wandered back to the car and enjoyed the stroll along the boardwalk and down towards the Lagoon.  The girls walked hand in hand and chatted away about such silly things, it made me smile.

A really nice Mother's Day.  2013 has big shoes to fill.

My first, like, you know, 'Proper' Market Stall.

Well,with a bit of nervousness and much determination, I had my first market stall last Friday. I put my lovingly made skirts 'out there' for the public to ponder through.

I had been invited by someone to sell my skirts at a Christmas Bazaar, held in the area we live in, between the three current compounds. I jumped at the chance and got myself organised in the week leading up to the event.

As MrL had to work in the morning of the market (which ran from 10am till Midday), it was I who had to work out how to get my skirt rack from our villa to where it needed to be and organise two young girls to come with me.  I need not have worried - IKEA furniture is made to come apart and with a spare Allen Key (which I found in MrL's tool box), I had disassembled the rack and put it up again!

The Market itself was rather quiet, but busy enough for me to sell 10 skirts within those two hours.  Not a bad couple of hours work.  The girls were really well behaved, entertaining themselves with some snacks I had brought along and a couple of toys they had brought along.  My mate Kaz visited and entertained the girls for half an hour or so which was greatly appreciated.

This Thursday evening I am having another stall at the British Embassy Christmas Market.  I am actually looking forward to it and hopefully I will sell quite a few skirts to justify that extra glass of wine I will indulge in at our 'Abu Dhabi Family' Christmas party on Friday evening....

Presenting...

My skirt business is turning more official, with a new name and a new logo. I'm very pleased/excited/rapt to present to you, 'Monet&Lily threads'.  The initials M&L are significant to us here at biglittlesister, I'm pretty sure you can work out why.

I still have bigger and better plans but having this logo has really got the ball started. It is exciting times ahead for me and I hope all does go to plan.

I'm seeing 'my' skirts out and about now, being worn by their new owners. I've sold over 85 now since August, can you believe it?  As far as I know too, my skirts are now being worn by people in Australia, Malta, Germany, England, Jamaica and here in the UAE!  I have orders too coming in, as people want certain skirts (namely my Camel one) to be sent back to their homelands as Christmas gifts for friends and relatives.   I'm chuffed, truly, I am.  (I'm also very busy! Whoopie!)  :)

Park Guell

One place we had been told about before heading off to Spain, was to make sure we try and get to Park Guell, nestled in the hills surrounding Barcelona.  it is quite a well known park, designed and created by Antoni Gaudi, for Count Eusebi Guell who financed the project.

We caught a bus there, which dropped us off at a foot of a very steep hill.  It was hard going, pushing a 12 kilo toddler in a stroller up a steep hill, but doing that for 10 minutes was well worth the effort.  I knew it would be something special when we saw the entrance sign...

I'm always one for arriving somewhere early, especially on holiday, to avoid the rush of the tourist masses and I, for one, was most pleased to see that the park was practically empty at 9:30am.  Through the gates we looked up at a lot of ceramic architecture - it was wonderful.

Tiny little buildings, looking like something out of a fairy tale.  I swear this building in the photo below looks like it is made out of gingerbread!

Work began on the park in 1900 and was meant to like an English style village, aimed at Barcelona's elite.  Gaudi designed and worked on the project for 14 years and when it became apparent that the project would never sell, work was abandoned.  In 1918 the local government purchased the property, finished the work and it opened to the public four years later.  I'm glad they did.

The place is pretty spectacular.  And pretty special too.  I felt privileged to be somewhere where a man, before his time, had planned and worked with a different vision.  An artist I learnt a lot about 20 years previously whilst at university.  (We kept saying that if we had chosen to visit Barcelona in 2008 instead of Venice like we did, and therefore named Lily that as her middle name, she would've been called - without a doubt, Lily Gaudi.)

What three gorgeous girls! =)

The ceramic and mosaic work is truly awesome - I'm pretty sure all four of us were impressed.  This bench below, is noted as being the longest in the world and if you saw it for yourself, you'd see why.  I'd actually vote it as being the most prettiest too.  It was very inspirational.

The house below, was once Gaudi's home.  Bit unusual that for a man who designed all his works on the curves of nature, it had a lot of straight sides (on the outside!)  It now serves as the park's museum.

The view from the walkways was amazing.  I'm so pleased we went.  I have a post coming up about the most spectacular Sagrada Familia (the building being constructed in the photo below), and to see it from this height and distant was fabulous....

One of Gaudi's most famous ceramic pieces is a mosaic gecko (or dragon as some people say it is), which I was keen to find, knowing it was housed in the park.  If only I initially realised that it was housed near the entrance, I would have steered there first before all the tourists came wandering in.  Instead I took a quick snapshot (to prove to myself that we did actually see it) with a lot of annoying strangers touching the creature.  I'm a bit pissed at myself for not seeing it before everyone else.

I do like that blonde headed chick's dress though!

I'm so glad we took the time to visit the park and considering it was free, was even better.  We spent about 2-3 hours there, wandering the paths leading up the hillside but we could've easily spent a couple more to explore.  Will do so next time. *wink wink*

I Interrupt The Holiday Posts For This...

Since our return to the land of sand, coming up to two weeks ago, it may seem like nothing much has been happening in my neck of the woods.  In fact, you couldn't be further from the truth, so I'll put a holiday post at hold for today.

So tell me, what the heck is happening in our beloved London?  The visions I see, the words I read, the texts from my sister - it is unbelievable.  I just hope that something happens soon to calm the place down.  The looting is beyond call and makes me angry.  I can't get my head around it.

Yesterday I received a text from one of my best friends over here (she's Australian too) stating that her and her husband's world was shaken upside down by the fact that her hubby's father was missing, presumed killed, in a helicopter crash in deepest, darkest PNG.  He was a pilot and my mate's husband instantly put wheels into motion to get himself from Abu Dhabi to Papua New Guinea to help search for his father.  When you hear of things like this, it puts life into perspective and makes the London looters and violence hunters look more stupid than they already are.  My thoughts all yesterday evening and today have been with my dear friend.

On the upside, I have to say, I took baby steps and took the plunge into launching my skirts for the public.  I made a Facebook page (listed there on your left hand side bar) and posted it onto the Gated Community where I live, Facebook page.  Immediately I was getting 'Likes' left, right and center and I was quite overwhelmed by it all.  Within two days of me doing that, I have had two definite sales (came and bought from me) of three skirts and have about four pending sales.  I am rapt.  I still am, two days on.  Biglittlesister Skirts has now arrived.  Only available for Abu Dhabi customers at the moment, due to the fact that I don't trust the mailing system over here.  Before I launched the page, last week, I sold five skirts alone.  I think I know what western ex-pat women want!

More Holiday posts still to follow...

Third World Problems. Not.

I love the fact that I can now 'whip up' a skirt that I know is original, fits properly and hopefully last a few seasons. I'm getting there slowly with the 'zip thing' and my latest skirt seems a hell of a lot neater than my previous attempts.

I'm a bit proud of the latest number.

My only problem with this skirt is 'what colour top should I be wearing with such a bold print?'

I'm open to suggestions.

Another Day, Another Skirt

Hasn't happened in a looonnnnggggg time but I'm pretty sure I have a bug.

A sewing bug!

Yesterday I 'whipped' up this A-Line skirt, with. a. zip. I actually found my sewing machine's zipper foot. (I've had my machine for 11 years now and had about a dozen moves, including a country swap! so I'm rather impressed I still have all the numerous sewing machine 'feet'!)

I actually bought a bit of a ghastly, retro green material from IKEA - a whole 10 dirham for a metre of the stuff.  Even though I think the colour is a little ghastly, I still like it.  It actually reminds me of my mum's old kitchen laminate bench tops, back in the 80's.  Anyway, thought it might look okay with a different t-shirt, rather than black.

Agree?

Next on the cards is a red skirt and I've also got some printed pattern material.  You know I'll post the finished product here....stay tuned. ;P

I've Been Sewing Again

And this time I've sewed a skirt in white (patterned). As as a rule, I rarely wear white. The odd tee shirt or two, but I've never had a white skirt.

...Until I was pregnant with Lily and the only maternity gear I found that I liked, was a white skirt in Mothercare. Then last summer I bought a pair of linen three quarter pants, in white, which I have now thrown out, due to the large stain of Butter Chicken on the leg. (Don't ask!)...

So after making my other skirt a few weeks back, which was zipless, I felt inspired to sew another. A couple of mums at school pointed me in the direction of a little shop not that far away, which sells zips, buttons, cottons, wools, nick-nacks for sewing (everything bar the kitchen sink and sewing patterns! boo!). I was most pleased that he had an assortment of zip colours, in the right size and cost a whole One Dirham each (todays market, currently about 25 aussie cents!)

So yesterday I set about making another skirt - another patternless one, but this time with a zip, which I did a very dodgy job of putting in (I can't remember how to do it!). But the zip works and it does the job it is meant to do. And you can't really see it, which is a bonus.

So here is the grand unveiling....

And of course I just had to model it for all you biglittlesister fans out there. Lol.

Ooo I can't wait to make another. =)

(And I really ought to buy a full-length stand alone mirror, don'tchathink?)

Just so you know, I am Mum, not MOM.

Sunday afternoon saw the mothers from Monet's Grade One class, invited to school for 'afternoon tea'. Of course I accepted the invite (all the mothers did).

When we entered the classroom, we were greeted by our son or daughter and taken to 'their' chair. Monet even tucked in the chair for me. On the table was this...

A handmade card and a very special laminated letter, written by Miss Monet herself, saying all the lovely things I do for her (and Lily).  Quite touching, though it was addressed to MOM.  (However on the drawing she had done on the heading there is hand written 'Mum'...)

One of the head teachers of the school must've spent all weekend making quite tasty Love Heart shaped cookies, which were then decorated by our own child. I can tell you, Lily thought the icing was delicious!  They were eaten, served with a lovely cup of tea and then we got to giggle away look at our children's writing journals.  (My Monet has come a long way over the course of the school year.)

A Sweet afternoon, it was nice to way to spend a Mother's Day.

Motherhood

Seeing as it is Mother's Day, I found this on You Tube a while ago.  I think it is beautiful and oh so true.



I became a Mother at the age of 31.

I'm not really sure what I would've told my future self; maybe something along the lines of...

• you will experience real love for the first time
• you will learn to be patient
• saviour every moment, those kidlets grow so quickly
• don't take motherhood for granted, it is a privilege to be a mother
• If you've had one baby, don't expect to fall pregnant easily the 2nd time around
• take a deep breath
• when someone offers you a bit of 'time out' - TAKE IT
• you will not be able to go to the toilet by yourself
• what are long, hot showers?
• there will be many bums to wipe and many vomits to clean up
• you will hear over and over "what can I eat? what can I eat? what can I do?"
• you'll get used to getting up five times a night - say goodbye to your regular 8 hours
• your 'work' will be thankless, but most of the time you do what you do for love and love only. (Because if you don't do it, you know no one else will! lol)

What would you tell yourself?

Happy Mother's Day.  

How To Tell If Someone From London Is Visiting Your Household

This is how you tell.

Having two girls in the house, (that would be Monet and I), who are both rather looking forward to seeing a bit of history, it was a nice surprise to see that my sister, who resides in London but has chosen to escape the London madness for the next week, brought with her some Wedding souviners.

Yep, I now have a teatowel with the bride -and-groom-to-be and Monet now owns a book about the couple and a (very cool, very chic) paper doll book.

Get Going...

It has been a while hasn't it?

I've been busy organising our impending trip back to Australia, something we find we are needing.  The girls and I leave and arrive two weeks before Lyndon can join us, which people look at me horrified that I am flying alone with a newbie.  Monet is an old hand at flying so she'll (hopefully) won't be a problem and I'm sure Lily will be fine.  We've had 'dramas' with getting Lily an Exit Visa but that is now all sorted and we're now set to go.  My dad emailed to say there is excitement growing at the prospect of us returning for a holiday and I'm very much looking forward to it. 

As much as I do enjoy living here, I feel it is time to have a visit back in Australia.  I'm finding that I need a break from this country as I find I am getting more and more annoyed with certain things, like driving for example and the way certain things are done is honestly shitting me.  Lyndon feels the same, especially now as he has been socondered(?) to a company in Dubai and has been doing stupid hours up there, a 150kms away from us at Abu Dhabi.  

We enjoy being ex-pats but we are now wondering where our next step is leading us.  Monet is a happy kid in school and at home (most of the time) so I'm sure we'll see out the schooling year (till June) and then reevaluate our situation and take it from there.  Who knows, maybe after this UAE-break, we'll see everything in a new light again.  Maybe I just need an Oz-dose.

Lily is now a thriving 11-week old who is a joy to be with.  I'm sure she's not far off her first giggle (yay!) and is happy most of the time lying in her rocker or on her play gym but I think her favourite place to be is to hang in the Baby Bjorn and nap near my chest.  She's not silly!  I'm looking forward to the family to meet her for the first time and I'm sure my dad won't recognise her as the newborn we brought home close to 11 weeks ago.

The lovely and talented (& now famous!) Tracey has made a cute as a button Christmas dress for Miss Lily to wear so I am looking forward to seeing our baby in it (& I will be sure to post a photo of her in it when the time arrives!) 

  

Lyndon and I (even some of the neighbours have commented) have noticed that Monet must have had a growth spurt.  She has such long lovely legs and her face has got bigger and prettier.  She brought home her first school report card last week and we're very proud of her.  For that, we gave her a ticket back to Australia for a holiday.  *heehee*  (gee, I used to get 5 bucks for a good report! How times have changed! *smirk*)

(This photo was taken by a friend who was a parent on a recent school excursion to 'Children's World' in Dubai.)

Not sure when I'll be back posting, hopefully not too far down the track.  And from a place that isn't the UAE.  (Thanks to those of you who have been back checking this blog - hopefully I get my blog-groove back some time in the near future!)

Naa-stee

Yep.  

Things are nasty around here.  

I might have a lovely newbie but since I have been home from the hospital I have had a run of bad luck.  They say things go in threes so hopefully next Wednesday sees me a glowing picture of health!  

What am I talking about?

You may recall I suffered a case of mastitis last week, last Wednesday night to be precise.  That was nasty.  The Wednesday night before, I woke up the following morning to discover a charming heat rash covering my torso (which disappeared before too long).  Last night (Wednesday night) I woke up to discover that my fingers had swelled into sweet little pork sausages, my face was puffed up like a balloon and I had swollen blotches over my chest, neck, arms.  Nasty.

I had got up to feed Miss Lily at 4am and knew I didn't feel good.  I woke Lyndon  for him to have a look at me.  My fingers were killing me, the fat little things they were.  Not good when you wear rings.  I managed to pry off my engagement ring but the wedding ring was staying put, along with the ring Lyndon gave me roughly 13 years ago.  

"Better get yourself off to hospital" Lyndon advised. 

So off Lily and I went (I was still in the process of feeding her so she had to come), leaving Lyndon at home to look after a sleeping Monet.

Our local hospital with 24hour Emergency is 10 minutes drive away (you can get there in 5!) and I was promptly looked at.  I must have looked a sight, let me tell you.  With a puff-ball face, red blotches up and down my arms, hair looking lovely from a 4am rise - I still had to stress that it was me who needed treatment and not my gorgeous little doll sitting in her capsule.  

Ends up that I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics I am on for mastitis.  They treated me with anti inflammatory but we still didn't manage to get the rings off, though my fingers and face went 'down'.  I was discharged about 3 hours later with fingers back to normal and my face looking better than 4 hours earlier.  

Generally I am a well person.   For me to be allergic to something is a bit of a shock.  So I've had a rough run over the past three weeks.  Terrific.

I complained to Lyndon before that my legs are achy.  I hope I don't wake in the morning to find I can't walk.  It would be just my luck.  Humph.

In the meanwhile I will sit back and take it easy, before you all tell me so...

An Anniversary I Wish We Didn't Have To Remember

September Third is one of those dates that is etched in Lyndon and my minds forever.  For different reasons at the time but now in union.  

Five years ago today I began the early signs of labour with Monet.  It was an exciting time, living in a lovely (rented) house in Rye, on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsular.  Lyndon had started a new job only a couple of weeks before in Melbourne's inner-city in the construction industry.  We were happy, our goals were being achieved and life was good.  

I was home alone when my first 'sign' of labour was going to happen.  I rang Lyndon excitedly and told him.  "I'll come home" he said.  (He worked over an hour drive away.)  "No, it's okay, I'm okay, you stay" was my response.  I wish instead I told him to "hell yeah, get your butt home!"  But I didn't.  

Less than sixty minutes later I received a phone call from Lyndon.  He spoke in a stuttery voice.  There were tears in that voice...I knew something was wrong.  Really wrong.  

"He's dead.  He's dead.  I'm coming home...I'm on my way home."

Dial tone.

My phone rang again.  

"I'm okay. I'm okay. But he's dead.  He died right next to me.  I'm on my way home."

Everyone's worst nightmare.  A workplace death.

He shouldn't have been allowed to drive home in such an upset state.  But I know Lyndon and he would have insisted he was okay.  

I had a call from Lyndon's dad who wanted to know if I was okay and had I spoken to Lyndon.  Lyndon had called him and Lyndon's dad had heard a news flash on the radio.

Lyndon and a fellow (apprentice) carpenter, were both working on a Construction site in Albert Park.  A new high rise apartment complex that was being built upon a famous Melbourne landmark.  As concrete was being poured a beam underneath was becoming unstable and both boys were sent down a level to re fix the beam.  Whilst concrete was still being poured above them.  Still.  Being.  Poured.  

As they were trying to fix the beam, the beam broke, concrete flowed through and the young man, not one meter away from my Lyndon, was instantly killed.  

You can read about the story here and here.

Today we remember forever young Nathan and his family.  

I'm glad it is not them remembering us, five years on.

38

I was 38 weeks pregnant yesterday.  I don't think there could possibly be any more room for my body to expand...

...My tummy is as hard as a rock.  At times the shape of it is quite lopsided and I can sit there at night and watch it change shape.  Pretty freaky stuff really.  Monet gets quite a thrill when she sees it move and none of us can wait to meet this newbie.

I'm having a funny week.  I know all about hormones and what they do to you when pregnant, but I have also been thinking a lot about my previous pregnancy and this was the week last year, which is etched terribly into my mind.  Probably the worst week of my life to be honest.  

Even though I never try and dwell on the past, I did want to share my story with you of what happened....

When given our options last year, the Cairns Base Hospital were truly wonderful.  As much bagging that hospital does get at times (you have to be a FNQ-er to understand) they were terrific.  As I opted for a CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling), the hospital flew me down to Brisbane for the day as that procedure is not done at Cairns.   The risk of doing the CVS was something we had considered.  Statistics show that there is a small percentage of miscarriage in doing the procedure (waters could break) but Lyndon and I felt that we 'had' to know how our baby was.  The next possible test could only be done a few weeks later and we felt we didn't have time.  We would not have been able to relax...

I went alone, even though Lyndon was keen to go, I knew this was something I had to do by myself.  I like to 'stress' alone and I knew I would be stressed and anything I was feeling, poor innocent Lyndon would get the brunt of it.  

I had the procedure done and I can honestly say it was the most painful procedure I had ever endured.  Worst than childbirth!  People told me, oh no, it isn't painful, but let me tell you - I thought it was!   I left the hospital and headed back to the airport feeling confident.  I was so glad the procedure was done and dusted and actually felt calm and happy.  (Probably more relieved than anything).  I was back on the plane before I knew it and back to my little family.

I was told to take it easy, which I was, when the following lunch time I felt big pains.  Big pains.  I was told this could happen.  I went and laid down but the pain wouldn't stop.  Lyndon forced me to ring up the hospital who told me to come in.  We drove in and went to Emergency.  I was seen quickly (got obs done) then waited again in the waiting room.  Lyndon had taken Monet out for a walk and run around on the Esplanade, I went to the toilet.  I discovered I was bleeding and then I was taken immediately into the Emergency ward, once I called Lyndon to return.  

I can remember the pain - oh the pain - and was given doses of morphine (hello!) to stop it, which it did.  My Obstetrician came and they could still find a heartbeat on the fetus, much to my relief.  But being a late Saturday they could not get a sonographer in to take a proper look.  I was seen by numerous doctors, nurses who were all great and it was decided that I should stay in hospital for observation.  I was given a drip and was wheeled away into a ward to spend the night.  And the next day.  

I was the first patient the sonographer saw on the Monday morning and I will never forget being wheeled down and being told that no heartbeat could be found.  I had known inside that the baby had died, but to have it confirmed was dreadful.  So dreadful.  I remember sitting back in the wheelchair and waiting for someone to take me back up into my ward, crying my eyes out.  One nurse walked by and gave me some comfort - though she had no idea why I was blubbering away, I was so grateful for her shoulder.  And the box of tissues she offered.

To cut a long story short, the following day I was induced (after some counselling) and ended up having to have a curet at around midnight.  

I had spent 5 days, 4 nights in hospital and was relieved to be able to go home, back to my daughter and husband and my waiting mother.  

The weeks that followed I was given much support and sympathy (many of you included, especially Trish & Lani), but I also felt guilt about having the CVS, which deep down I knew caused me to miscarriage at 14 weeks. 

At least the organising of moving to Abu Dhabi kept my mind occupied.  I did receive a phone call from the hospital telling me my results were in.  I wasn't ready (as such) to be told about the fetus, I opted my results be sent to my parent's address in Victoria, where I would be in a week or so.  I knew then, I could open the envelope in private and deal with what was on the paper as best as I could.  

When I did open that envelope in the weeks that followed, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  Physically.  And mentally.   My results showed that the fetus had Trisomy 18.  Just one of those things that happen at conception and not hereditary.  Just. One. Of. Those. Things. 

In a way I am glad that I had to go through what I did.  Made me appreciate this pregnancy more and it made me so much more aware how precious actually having a baby/child actually is.  As much as I might whinge about this big lump of a body with this big bubba inside, I could not be more pleased.  Or happier.

Crane Wanted

So I had my regular check-up yesterday with my lovely Obstetrician.  I will be 38 weeks pregnant on Tuesday, but according to my regular ultra-sounds, this baby is 'ahead' of time.  (Meaning the baby is a week or two ahead 'size' wise.)

Apparently baby is all ready to go and is in perfect position for labour.  (Of course, in the course of labour, this could all change!)  He stated everything looks normal and is very happy with me.  He thinks that the baby won't be as large as first expected, I could be looking at maybe a 4 kilo-er (Monet was 4.2) but that is just an estimate.  That certainly put a smile on my face when he stated that!  I still have in the back of my mind that a 5 kilo baby has to come out (*argh*) but now, maybe not....  

As we are at the 'business' end of this pregnancy (can't wait for it to end!) I am seeing my Doc every week.  Before I left he said to me "See you next week, though I might see you earlier", along with a wink.  I don't think so.  Seriously.  I do not think so.  (But any tips on getting this ball rolling, let me know!)  Lyndon is talking this seriously, what my Doctor said, after all as Lyndon said he has probably been in the business of looking after pregnant women and delivering their children for about 35 years.  I'm still not convinced.  

But my fingers are crossed.  

Health-wise I am feeling good, bar feeling a bit tired, due to crap sleeps.  Turning over in bed is such an effort (I've asked Lyndon if he could possible hire me a crane from work) and I am so. sick. of. sleeping. with. pillows. around. my. body.  But otherwise, I no complain!

Apparently I Am A Masterchef

My new Food Processor tells me I am.

I bought a new Food Processor yesterday, mainly because my old one,which was a whole two years old, decided that it only had two speeds.  Those two speeds were either 'not at all' or 'flat-chat'.  Not the most safest thing to use in a country which has dodgy electrical wiring and sell shoddy electrical converters.  Lyndon told me to 'piff it' and get a new one, if I really wanted a new one.

Seeing that I have only ever had a Food Processor for two years, I first thought it was a luxury kitchen item that I probably could have continued living on without.  But alas no.  Owning one of these kitchen products is not a luxury if you enjoy cooking and cook often.  I discovered I could not live without one. (Exaggerated slightly of course!) It seems that in every second recipe I have, it states to use a mix master (I *heart* mine) or a Food Processor.  And of course with a baby on the way, it is handy to have one on hand when the little one begins solids.  (That's my excuse anyway, okay!)

After much researching, 'ooo-ing and ahh-ing', justifying, wondering etc., I bit the bullet yesterday.  Finally.  And the one I chose tells me I am a Masterchef 8000.

As I opened the box I came across gadget after gadget.  Some I am not 100% sure what to do with.

But as a bonus it also has a jug in it so I can 'blend' (and 'piff' out my 12 year blender, which is nearing the end of its life).

Let's hope this one lasts longer than my previous one!

Pretty, Oh So Pretty!

I love pretty things.  Must be the female in me...

I bought this pretty tray from IKEA the other week.  I've been asked a few times where I have got it from and I am unable to buy another due to no stock of them left!

I love 'Mothercare' and I really should avoid walking through it's doors at anytime.  We were after a 'Moses Basket' and I knew they sold them.  I find it very pretty.

And speaking of 'Mothercare', how could I resist these gorgeous skirts for Monet, which were on sale (70% off!), so that makes them even prettier!

The bottle of 2000 Vintage Moet&Chandon waiting for me to pop so I can pop.  Just one glass and I will be happy.   Moet champagne just has to be pretty!

Monet.  Because I think she is even more prettier than yesterday.  And she can be pretty coooool.

Here are a few links to some friend's sites who sell pretty things; 

• Stacey from Sheeps Clothing, because I wear her clips religiously (because I think they are very pretty.)
  
• Lee from H&B, because she is an awesome photographer who has started up her own business and I need her to take some pretty photos of my girl and the newbie.
• Leisa & Nicole from Mookah, who I've known forever and sell some pretty homewares.
• And how can I not link to the site 'Pretty Green', as Liam Gallagher is looking very handsome these days and his clothes are pretty awesome for blokes!

:-)