Monday, September 26, 2011

A Punctual Stargazer!

Liam Charles arrived on Thursday 22 September 2011 at 11:02am - punctually on his due date.

Let's just say he was a big boy at 4.37kg (or 9lb 10oz) who arrived with much assistance in the end - looking at the stars rather than down at the ground!  It was quite a different experience for his mum compared to the arrival of the other two kids!

There are two very excited and proud older siblings at our place!

We got home from hospital today and are very much looking forward to sleeping in our own beds.


Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Still Searching for the Perfect Nappy Bag

The nappy bag has been the bain of my existence as a mother.  I have never been able to find one I like.  They either too big, too small, too overpriced, too many pockets, too few pockets, wrong colour, or wrong something!

When I had Matilda I bought a Kathmandu messenger bag to use as a nappy bag.  It was OK, we used it to carry stuff about in but it was pretty bulky (even when it was empty).

For Kelvin I again tried the Kathmandu messenger bag but very quickly gave up on it when I was trying to lug it, a toddler and a monster baby about the place.  I ended up swapping it for a $2 Betts Shoes bag!  That was after trying several other types of "proper" nappy bags without success.

So third time round you think I'd know what I want/need.  But I don't.  I have been following Anna over at Noodlehead for a while and had purchased a couple of her bag patterns recently to try out - with the thought in mind that one of these bags might prove to be the ultimate nappy bag!!

First I attempted the Go Anywhere Tote - looks like it could work well with seperate pockets on the outside for mum-stuff (so keys, wallet, phone don't get lost in the tardis that can be the inside of a nappy bag) and heaps of room inside for baby-stuff.  If this proves to be a good bag then I may re-make it in more "me" colours.

And then I tried the 241 Tote - which I love!  It's not huge but it's not small.  I think I much prefer my fabric choices for this one - much more me.  It is pretty roomy inside, has only one strap and some great pockets on the outside for mum-stuff!  I think I'll definitely be making more of these - and I would really like to try out the zipper pocket version (for added security for phones and keys etc).

And after all that, you'd think I was bag-obsessed.  I'm actually the total opposite!  Until 18 months ago I didn't own a proper leather handbag - I had a canvas Kathmandu travel pouch/bag that I'd been using since we moved to London in 2002.  I think I prefer practical to pretty.

Please tell me if you absolutely adored or absolutely loathed your nappy bag.  If you loved it - what kind was it, I may still be bitching and moaning about nappy bags this time next year!!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Turtle Birthday Quilt

My mother-in-law had a significant birthday today and spent the weekend celebrating with family and friends.

I have been plotting and crafting for the last little while and managed to get a quilt together for her in some happy primary-ish colours (free pattern here).

I didn't attempt my own quilting on this one but instead the lovely Wendy at Lavender Blue Quilting did it for me - and it's fabulous!!

And I couldn't resist adding my own label!!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Sunshiny Day

After feeling a bit down about being the size of a house and people only being interested in talking about the impending arrival of our new baby the spring sunshine over Hobart proved to be the perfect antidote.  We jumped into the car and went to Richmond (for ice cream) via Sorell (for lunch at a cafe - we missed the market!!).

Fortunately we didn't take bread with us to feed the Richmond ducks because there were great slabs of bread floating in the river where the ducks had rejected the offerings!

It was a perfect spring day for eating ice cream, doing rollipollies down the hill...

...and making daisy chains.

I also couldn't resist snapping this picture.  Do you think he might have the skill set to become a plumber one day?!?

Monday, September 12, 2011

Unplanned School Holiday Adventures!

Well, today could have been a disaster.  My car wouldn't start this morning - the battery was flat.  So instead of worrying about it we walked the few hundred metres down the hill to the local shops for Matilda to get her haircut ready for a new school term.  We were 5 minutes late but they weren't busy and Matilda was happy with her haircut, braid, sparkly hairspray and a couple of chocolate freckles.

Then we went down to the local bakery for a babycino/latte and a little sweet sustainance for our journey home.  But while we were sitting there we decided we didn't fancy the walk back up the hill and caught a bus instead.

Although we could see our house from the bus stop, there is no direct bus home so our trip took an hour and involved two different buses - one of which didn't go the way we thought it would which always adds to the joys of using public transport!

So we then rang the battery man who came and started the car for us and then we had to go for an extra long drive to recharge the battery.  While we were waiting for the battery man Matilda did attempt to find an appropriate sized battery from the stash - that's when I showed her under the bonnet of the car!  And it was lunchtime so we decided on chips from a remote McDonalds (because we could do drive-thru and wouldn't risk the car not starting again).

A trip to Bunnings for some more storage boxes to tidy up the sewing/guest room (as well as something for Trev's upcoming birthday) and a bit of a play on the playgym.  Fortunately the car started again when we got back to it - and if it didn't, I'd have bought myself some jumper leads and begged for a jumpstart from a passing friendly stranger!!

We then dropped off three bags of stuff to the nearby Vinnies.  Matilda had her first real experiance of wandering in the treasure trove that an op-shop can be (I usually go in my lunch hour at work rather than dragging kids around) and we found some amazing stuff.  I convinced her we didn't need the big plastic dolls house but we did find a Barbie motor scooter and two Barbie pushbikes (as well as some great fabric for me).

Altered yellow trousers were dropped off for the skinny cousin/nephew and I managed to score a cuppa and homemade brownies before heading home.

Coles delivered my groceries for the second time today.  I somehow managed to place two online orders for delivery today (I blame placenta brain but it's more likely dyslexia in reading 12pm as midnight not midday but don't tell anyone).   Fortunately we didn't really double up on anything so all is good.  And the big order arrived in plenty of time for me to use it to cook dinner.  In nearly a year of doing my groceries online this is the first time I've stuffed up and I can't recommend it enough - much more pleasant having my groceries delivered to my kitchen bench than dragging kids around the supermarket or having to go out once they are in bed!

All in all, a pretty good day! Just finishing off now with a banana split (thanks to the extra bananas we ended up with) and an evening cuppa.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Yellow Sandbox Pants

My sister-in-law and her family relocated to Hobart today.  We owe our nephew/cousin a 2nd Birthday present and apparently he's been asking for yellow trousers for a while.

What's a crafty auntie to do?

Whip up a pair of Oliver+S Sandbox pants in yellow drill, of course!

It wouldn't be my colour choice but then again who am I to question the desires of a 2 year old!!
Perfect buttons in my stash!
Unfortunately the weather isn't that inviting but it is Hobart in the springtime.