It's A Girl!!

Meet the newest member of our family... Sophie Alexa. Born Friday 21st October at 2.29pm, weighing 7lb 11oz.

All is going really smoothly and we are enjoying our hospital stay and these early days of getting to know our new bub.

See you back here soon once things settle down a bit...

Grace’s Quilt Is Finally Finished!

Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to type those words? After literally months, Grace’s patchwork quilt (my first one ever) has finally found its home on top of her bed. It was the one project I’d been desperately hoping to complete before bub arrived. However, the main issue I’ve had has been finding the time to actually sit down and sew without interruptions and consequently I’ve had to work slowly on this project doing it bit by bit. Also, my sewing skills are very basic (I’m pretty much self-taught apart from a term’s worth of high school sewing lessons) and so I’ve become very well acquainted with my ‘unpicker’ tool as well as my sewing machine’s instruction book. Being a perfectionist definitely hasn’t helped either.

Thankfully, my friend Kylie has been very tolerant of my numerous quilting questions and another friend from work, Tracy, was willing to drop everything one weekend to help me. She kindly top-stitched the quilt for me on Saturday night with her special ’walking foot’ and attached the binding on, knowing that I was desperate to get it finished and my due date was looming. I am ever so grateful to her.



I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I love the combination of fabrics and colours and like the girly touch it adds to Grace’s room. It isn’t perfect but it’s been made especially for my darling girl with lots of love and that is what makes it so special. It has also been rewarding personally to work on such a large project and it makes me happy to be able to say ‘I made that’. I can’t count the number of times Paul said, “I’ll give you $50 to just go and buy a quilt” as I sat on our lounge complaining about having to unpick a row of stitching for the hundredth time.



For anyone interested, my finished squares are 3 ½ inch. As well as some existing pieces from my stash, I literally bought my fabrics from a whole range of places including Spotlight, Etsy seller This And That From Japan and online store Sunshine and Hunny Quilts. For anyone local to Perth, I also used Calico and Ivy, Patchwork At Homespun, Carol’s of Midland and Southlands Fabric and Sewing Centre. I also included one type of fabric which I cut from an old cotton dress of Grace’s.

So that’s my first ever quilt completed! I’ve really enjoyed getting back into sewing but I think I’ll stick to smaller projects for the next little while. Although, with a newborn due to arrive literally any day, I think my sewing machine will be guaranteed of a rest for the next few months at least…

Around Our Place

This week has been a fairly quiet one for Grace and I as we haven’t ventured too far from the house. Apart from my Mum and a few friends popping in here and there, we’ve had lots of tea parties, spent plenty of time outside picking flowers and collecting snails (Grace is infatuated by them) and done a bit of baking. Yesterday we made a batch of delicious Mini Raspberry Melting Moments to enjoy for our morning tea which you can see above on the pretty china side plate I bought last weekend from a church fete.



I have also managed to get a few little crafty projects done, just a few small things for Grace’s room like the tissue box cover above. I’d originally seen a tutorial on Janette’s blog and ended up using a combination of two – the one she’d seen on Design*Sponge and one from here. I’ve also managed to finish adding a few new small touches to our ensuite and once I hang the little piece of artwork I’ve made, I’ll share some photos of it with you next week.





Today I’ve been alternating been pottering around the house and sitting outside in the glorious sunshine (after having a downpour of rain last Sunday and hail, tomorrow we have a forecast of 35!) Paul has been laying lawn all morning and ‘Grace’s Garden Corner’ is starting to slowly look a bit better now that the brick path and grass are in. You can see a current shot and before shot above. I have seen a cute little table and chairs at Bunnings which I’d love to get for here and once we fill the sand patch in the corner with sand, we just need to decide what else is going to go on the lawn – trampoline or cubby…?

How have you all spent your Saturday? Do you have anything special planned for tomorrow?

Waiting...

Today is officially one week until my due date and while the countdown is on, I’m trying to appreciate every moment I have left with this precious bub kicking away inside my belly. My house is clean and tidy (thanks to my wonderful Mum who has been constantly stopping by to help me do chores that I’m finding difficult), my hospital bag is all set to go and I’ve done as much ‘nesting’ in these past few weeks as my energy levels will allow.

Each day, I spend time thinking about how our family is about to change. About what it will mean to be a family of four, about how Grace will adjust to being a big sister and about how I will find my new rhythm as a Mummy of two. I wonder about how my labour will go. After having such a clear idea in mind with Grace’s birth, this time around I have no plan at all and have let all expectations disappear. But I feel at peace about what is ahead of me and know it will be an exciting time for our little household…

Image above found via Courtney Moser on Pinterest. Original source unknown.

Laptop Blogging

Up until now, my computer time was limited as whenever I wanted to blog or browse the Internet, I had to shut myself in the study to do so. This meant Grace could get up to no good while I wasn't watching her and I therefore only tended to use the computer while she napped. With a new baby on the way very soon, we decided that it would be a good idea to get a laptop, an inexpensive simple one that I could use mainly for writing emails or blogging which we could use around the house. That way, Grace could be playing happily and I could keep my eye on bub while still using the computer.

On the weekend, we made a purchase and I must say, I'm so glad we did. As I type this post, I am sitting outside at our patio table while Grace is next to me digging in her sandpit. Last night she came down with a cold (which I'm crossing my fingers I don't catch) and while she lay exhausted on the lounge this morning resting, I was able to sit next to her, and catch up on a few blog posts. I am loving the convenience and flexibility of a laptop.

On a side note, I had my 38 week appointment this morning and bub is still head down since the 'turning procedure' and looking very comfortable. I'm hoping that he or she stays put for the next two weeks now.

Also, sorry for the late giveaway draw but the winner of my fabric bunting which was drawn using a Random Number Generator (sorry I have no idea how to include the graphic in this post, you'll just have to trust that I'm an honest person) is... #2 Sonia of Raine and Sage... I'll be in touch Sonia to get your details.

Image above via weheartit