This.

Yep. Just this.

Happy x

Hello darling blog friend! Happy Friday!

Today's my birthday, and I'm a very happy young lady indeed. My day has been simple, relaxed, delish, and mostly just me and the unborn one sharing cuddles as we only know how. Unless it's the fastest labour ever, it seems I won't share my birthday with my first born and after our midwife check up today, we might not see the little Baby Darling til well into September anyways, as yes, there's a bit of growing to do.

I thought I'd share some small glimpses of our kitchen renovation as we're nearing the gorgeous pointy end with a few days left to go, perhaps a week at most. Yippee! This week I got a little pampering on the tootsies, a little facial and my darling hair done again at Corrin's Hair Lounge. And, my birthday present was some lovely make up that'll get me through the next few months being simple and stylish. Thank you to my darling sister in law who was spot on with just what I need! Just enough glamour for this little Mama to Be!

So very happy and enjoying my Friday, and sending some love and gush and happy thoughts your way.

xoxo

Wool Scraps for Crochet

When you're thrifty, it's hard to throw anything away, and I've been saving up a whole bunch of wool bits just in case, just in case, just in case! Every so often I get a wave of inspiration and add a few granny squares to this collection from those scraps of wool. A while back I got a heap of red wool at the op shop, so thought that colour would tie it all together...

And the dear little suitcase keeps it all nice and tidy when I don't feel as inspired to crochet... it can sit on the vinyl record collection or slide under the couch! I might have to decide on a thrifty way to join them all together (might have to be a beige border as I have a lot of beige wool from the op shop that is kind of bland for anything else)...

I might have enough squares for my last baby blanket before the little Baby Darling arrives... we'll see!

Birthday Bunting

My little nephew turned 1 on Monday, and I was determined to be a little DIY last week during my first week of maternity leave. Using my mum's machine (I stayed in the country for a while as our kitchen is being renovated - of course - what else would you do at 36 weeks pregnant?) I created some dreamy birthday bunting... but made the circus colours so he and his mum can use them anytime as well!

For his name bunting, I took a little more care, curved the edges (using a soup bowl for the pattern) of the bunting, and backed each with cotton drill...  and zig zag stitched his name to each 'flag'... but I also used thicker ribbon and top stitched the ribbon *between* the top fabric and the backing drill, so his name bunting can be washed up on and used again and again (OF COURSE you'd love your name hung around the house, or is that just me?)...

The normal bunting I just cut into triangles, and zig zag stitched it to a 4 metre ribbon (if you look in Spotlight the cheapest stuff is actually 3m or 4m of satin-esque 3mm or 4mm ribbon, heaps of colours, for maybe 99 cents... instead of the normal cotton bias binding which is 69 cents a metre)... cheap and nasty, but fine for kids bunting...

I have heaps of triangles left over, so will make more for any OTHER BABIES that come along and need some circus colour n cheer.

How gorgeous is his birthday cake too?

(The Smarties were my sewing snack food last week! I *still* can't get enough chocolate and ice cream!)

xoxo

Last Week of Work: Friday

My last day at work started off very early (but not so 'bright' as in bright and early, right?) as I produced the breakfast show boys! And it was SO gorgeous and fun! A perfect last day... You might be like, WHAT? Producing BREAKFAST RADIO is perfect? But as I don't do it all the time, it was really great working with the boys again and Friday's radio shows are always really great, uplifting etc.

Husbie took these photos at 4.45am, and I couldn't see him (nor him, me) so please forgive me for I look like a startled bunny in the headlights, but I didn't want to blink or stand outside for long because it was COLD.

BUT, it's a new handmade dress (I KNOW!):

The Facts

Fabric: Some sort of wool blend stretch knit (from Lincraft) and about $8 or $9 a metre
Pattern: Self drafted, but using Built By Wendy's Sew U Stretch techniques, with a scoopier neckline for future breastfeeding days.
Notions: just thread
Year: 2012
Time to complete: 1.5 hours
First worn: August 2012
Wear again? Yes!

Total Cost: $10



It's a long sleeves tshirt dress, and I made the neckline thicker but looser for the breastfeeding option (so you just pull it and unclip the maternity bra... not that I know yet, but I'll report back). My maternity dresses have just been long tubes, rectangles for front and back, usually for my frame I curve them to fit, but to stretch out for Le Bump now and to be a baggier dress for post-birth, a rectangle should be ok.

Here's how dark it really was, no flash:

Hope you've enjoyed seeing my pregz fash outfits from my last working week! It's a bit selfish, because it's kinda for me to reflect and show my little Bunny Boo later (oh the pet names our little human has already, I could write a book)... but thanks for all your kind notes and wishes through the week!

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Last Week of Work: Thursday

Last Thursday was a ker-razy day at work. KER-fuffles and things to fix, a problem solving kinda day, and I was thinking "Please universe, I have to leave work, I have to go on maternity leave... just let me go..." because I felt like everything was stirring and sad that I was leaving so it threw all kinds of shit that hittith the fan. You know what I mean. But, we overcame all obstacles AS ALWAYS (even though some lasted til Friday too!) and all was good in the world again.

And FINALLY, here's another stretchy T shirt dress I made last month that's been a gem to wear as the body expands....

But these photos make Le Bump look smaller than Wednesday's photos... how WEIRD.

And the info for the new handmade dress (how little I have made this year compared to last year, OMG):


The Facts

Fabric: Light stretch polyester blend of something, Spotlight $7 a metre
Pattern: Self drafted, but using Built By Wendy's Sew U Stretch techniques, with a scoopier neckline for future breastfeeding days.
Notions: just thread
Year: 2012
Time to complete: 2 hours
First worn: July 2012
Wear again? Yes!

Total Cost: $14

AMAZING. Thanks again for your lovely comments! And love the guesses on the baby's gender... I WONDER so much more these days... but still no vibes either way.

P.S. A few maternity leave questions have popped up recently in my comments... just thought I'd get some info out here... Yes in my area of public service/government organisation, I had to take maternity leave 6 weeks prior to the due date... (and for you feminists, they actually called it 'confinement date' not due date. How I gnashed teeth and even tried to call it parental leave - to no avail) ... you CAN stay longer at work, if you get a Doctor's approval. My Dr approved an extra week, so that's why I've wrapped up work at 35 weeks pregnant... which gave me a little less than 4 weeks with my Sept 12th due date. I could have pushed for more, as I've been totally healthy and happy throughout the pregz (morning sickness and heartburn was my only worry) but just thought I should get into a different mindset for birth and post birth life... which has been good so far this week.

Yep, we get 3 months paid maternity leave at my work, and nup, I'm taking 6 months at half pay... which combined with my 3 months Long Service Leave at half pay ... gives me just around 12 months... So quite the break from work, but as I'm looking at parenthood as my new 'role' and like a job (just a different job), I don't see it as a 'break' or a 'holiday'.

Anyways, hope that's cleared a bit for you guys asking... I know it's different for everyone, and I'm extremely luckily 12 months can be paid (even on half pay) leave for me...

Last Week of Work: Wednesday

It was an absolutely freezing day last Wednesday, and yep that's why I look pained with my smilez but why the big old teddy bear jacket had to return! Luckily I was inside for most of the day at work... but how much bigger do I look on the side here:

Gigantic! Every Wednesday or Thursday is our new 'week' so these photos show me as 35 weeks pregz, and TOTALLY showing it. I also think after wearing these undies and tights together, I had really puffy legs, as I've gone up 2 sizes in undies, but sometimes I forget and wear my old ones. YES, I'm talking underwear on my blog, and yes, that is a photo of my undie curves on my blog. #NoFear here my friends.

You've seen this pregz fash dress before, I made it a few weeks back from leftover stretch knit my friend gave me, and it might be on it's last legs already this week or next... we'll see if I get any bigger up front.

Op shopped scarf with that 80s nautical look (I've had it for at least 5 years I think, so not a new op shop purchase) and the jacket was a present at least 12 years ago from my flatmate. And good old Melissa shoes in jungle print (do we say jungle when we don't know the animal responsible for the print? Or is it just 'animal' print?).

xoxo

Last Week of Work: Tuesday

Yep, purple and black! I made this stretchy dress last year during Sew Weekly 2011 for the Spanish Harlem theme and it's so comfy as pregz fash this year. Totally one of my faves to wear, and I've 'teamed' it up here with my op shopped cardi (a lovely wool blend one I found recently - great!), a bit of leftover stretch knit that turns into a scoopy, loopy scarf cowl thing and my velvet or velveteen op shopped jacket (a recently QLD op shop find!).

Again, it's early in the morning so Husbie snapped these quick photos for me in the freezing cold. I actually can't remember (one week on!) what happened at work this day. I know I went there, I know I must have worked... but that's how weird my brain is at the moment, I just am so fluid going with the flow... each day as it comes and I've already forgotten last week... SO pleased we took these photos now though, I love how cute I look here! And weirdly so much larger than the Monday outfit!

xoxo

Last Week of Work: Monday

Thank you all for your lovely well wishes about my mat leave! My last week of work turned out to be super fun but super busy (especially Wed/Thurs/Friday - which I should have predicted) and now it's the first Monday of my Maternity Leave! I should have explained Long Service Leave a bit better (but thanks for your gush Oona!)... For you darlings not working in Australian public/government jobs, our organisation offers Long Service Leave for employees who have committed over 10 years of service to the organisation... Whilst I've been at different parts of the ABC, it's around 11 or 12 years (as I was part time for a while at the start when I was a little radio producer)... so after 10 years, the deal is you get 3 months paid leave. ASTONISHING. But also something I'd recall my teachers getting when they were like 55 years old, so hence my dorkiness for staying at the same place through my twenties.

BUT! Not that there's been a life plan in place, I'm pretty happy with my career, my achievements and the amazing people I've been able to work with through that whole time. GOSH, SO REFLECTIVE and it's only really the third day of mat leave! Better not cry!

So last week, Husbie helped me grab a cute little photo each day of my pregz fash, because at 35 weeks, these are the best of the best outfits (that fit me)!

Monday I wore a wooly op shopped swing dress, op shopped tights (these ones were new in the packet!) and my new Melissa shoes (a present to myself for being happy n healthy at 33 weeks, so my GP wrote me a note to stay at work an extra week) from Mandrake and Willow (a GORGEOUS little shop in Yarraville - I'll write more about later!).

The swing dress accidentally ended up in a warmer wash cycle, as don't we all love that when 50% wool items get heated... but luckily it didn't shrink too small for the bump, as I stretched it out and stopped the felting of a few areas when it was wet. I have to wear little shortie shorts underneath, but I love how 60s Mod it looks and it's super warm. Most of these morning photos are around 7.30 or 8am so it's kinda 8 degrees C - and my smile looks more like a grimace to me!

Happy Monday to you!

xoxo

From Here til Maternity (Leave)

I thought it was finally time for a maternity pun, especially since I have one last day at work, and then... maternity leave. When you work in a government job, you do get healthy maternity leave in Australia... and because I haven't left my organisation (just moved around within it), I'll also be taking Long Service Leave. Yup, I'm a grown up at the age of 33 and will be using my long service leave with my maternity leave. All these things scream GROWN UP to me, do you agree?

There are some parts of the world that don't get maternity leave and some countries that offer much more amazing parental support systems than Australia... I know that personally I'm really thankful to get maternity leave, and am happy that as a woman I have choices in my career and feel extremely lucky that in my career I've been able to feel like being pregnant is no big deal. I work at an amazing place.

So! It's now been 35 weeks of pregnancy, of growing my fetus, and in the last few weeks, it's felt more and more real. Not that all the other weird hormones, kicks and pushes and other stuff wasn't making it real... I guess that the human child is taking on its own identity now, it's developing a different energy to mine, so that shift of energy when something is so close, someone is so close to you all the time... SO INTERESTING!

One more day of my career job, my old job in radio... and Monday? Monday is my first day as a parent... big job that one.

Talk soon!

Loved Up

Hey! Hope you've had a great week, and YAY it's Friday!

Husbie has ducked out in the cold to get us some Indian takeaway (hello, garlic naan etc), and I found these garden photos for you today because... I'm so deliciously happy, and with one week left of my day job before maternity leave, I'm just so thankful of everything in my life and am loved up on everybody in it. Loved up!

So - here's some lovely flowers for you! Imagine I've had them delivered to your doorstep from mine!

It's so lovely when we have such great friends, family, work friends coming into our life, and being pregnant and so gushy at the moment, I'm just collecting up so many beautiful vibes for my human child to be! I can't really explain it, other than I feel a wonderful wash of happiness... a lovely contentedness, completeness etc etc etc...

And so yes, one more week of work. 5 days at my darling office with my darling co-workers and then an openness to grow more, birth a baby, learn new things about myself and Husbie and be challenged and love each other more. Gush x a million.

Talk soon xo