baking and making with my family of 9
or keira trying to get into each photo!!!!!! This turned out to be a funny set of photos as you can see my little friend trying to squeeze in ….first to give me her monkey
then we try the other side
then to close the door…..I thought I’d share a bare belly pic in case I don’t get another one in before the babies arrive in 3 weeks time…..also all my projects are WIP so there is nothing finished to show off just my almost finished belly
Yes I have broadband and I can show off some of my latest endeavours! First up is my third mug cosy…these are great, take a night to knit up and also mean no need for a coaster! The pattern is from Interweave knits christmas edition and I used seed/moss stitch instead of garter for this little number!
Next up are 2 bags…the birdie sling by Amy Butler which does require quite a bit of fabric with over 3 3/4 yards in total………it was so popular that now mother dearest wants one too but she’ll have to join the project queue.
I made her this little french number which was a quick n easy library bag and very appropriate as she’s a french teacher
and then there is the turtle neck hottie also for my dear mum, I felted the jumper first then cut around the hot water bottle and sewed up the sides…how easy is that!!! It was shown on Better Homes and Gardens without felting the jumper but trust me felting makes it so much warmer and cosier
and today we saw my fill in OB who told me is all well but no cooking, cleaning, walking, lifting etc as the babies could come anytime….we left the room and laughed because the day before we hosted a family brunch where I got into my baking, cleaned, pottered around and finished the day with a long walk in manly…..I always thought I was a compliant patient but I guess I’m slowing down in my own way. Yesterday I did discover the best ever blueberry muffin recipe and here it is
1 cup SR flour and 1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
5 Tbsp milk
2 eggs
140g butter melted
120g blueberries
Whisk eggs, milk and butter and gradually add to the combined flour and sugar mixture. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour into muffin cases. Bake in 180-190degree oven (or 200 if not fan forced) for 20 minutes or until cooked and golden on top! They are so moist and yummy!
4 weeks and counting
Why no blog posts you might be wondering????? There has been plenty of crafting but sadly 4 failed reconnections of my broadband by Telstra where they reconnect and tell you to wait 3 days and see if its up and running……well I’m still on dial up waiting for someone to come out and fix it tomorrow….and then I can post photos!!!!
But I have managed in the last week to whip up 2 bags, 1 hottie cover, 2 mug cosies and an embroidered jumpsuit and tomorrow I will proudly show off the photos
4 weeks and 2 days to go………………………
Well on Sunday I finally got the sewing machine plugged in and made a dent in my to do list. First up were 3 cushions in hollabee fabric (from my store of course) for my SIL’s birthday which were quick and easy (I got these all ready to post before snapping so they’re a tad folded).
next up was a softie for keira that was also quick and easy and here’s my little miss in her role as quality control inspector
and I managed to cut out the Amy Butler birdie sling and have to whip up 2 this week for birthdays….it actually will make a great nappy bag as its larger and roomier than I expected and I’m even going to put pockets in which is something I tend to skip on my own bags only to regret it when I can’t find a thing in my bags!
and after all of that I was exhausted….I am officially now in slow down mode as everything tires me out from walking the stairs to the shopping aisles to entertaining keira…the babies weighed 1738 and 1739 grams today and have impressive head sizes that measure 2 weeks ahead but thats no suprise as keira had a 37cm head at birth….they are both head down but unfortunately in the same corner of my body which is rather uncomfortable but with less than 6 weeks to go the end is in sight and then the fun really begins…..and here is my belly which now measures an impressive 115cm which is about 3/4 of my height!!!!
Well despite a killer shoulder and babies under my ribs, I’ve been knitting away (albeit with a hot water bottle on my shoulder as I knit) and finished this little cutie for my baby….its called the vintage racing helmet from ‘the second little Sublime hand knit book’….its a super easy pattern and I love the sublime yarn and think I need to whip up a girly one too
I’ve also decided to make a list of what needs to be made for the babies and tackle it in the next 6 and a bit weeks…..
Well I’m all booked in to meet my babies on the 4th August which is 7 weeks today! both babies are doing very well but last night my stomach became this peculiar pointy shape and today we learnt that girl baby has moved head down and likes to kick her mum under the ribs! I can stand and lie down pretty well but sitting requires me to lean back a lot in the couch to get those footsies out of there
so its
Thank you for all the birthday wishes!!! I can’t believe its been 2 years since my little baby was born……at 5.57pm weighing a healthy 8pds 10oz and with a full head of hair and one of the biggest babies we saw in the nursery during our hospital stay
we never could have imagined how cute she would look or all the attention she would get for her big blue eyes (courtesy of daddy) and her curly hair (courtesy of mummy) or her ability to speak non stop (also courtesy of her mummy)
she makes us laugh non stop
and she’s a treasure to look after…I feel very blessed to have such a fun full time job and we’re very proud of our little keira and we can’t wait for her to be a big sister
Well this is the little placket neck jumper from Last Minute Knitted Gifts which apparently should take 4-6 hours to make….sadly I don’t get to sit that long and even if I could I think this jumper would have taken a tad longer….but its very warm and soft thanks to the Bendigo Woollen Mills Charisma I used ….its now discontinued but is a lovely blend of wool, alpaca and yorkshire mohair and just beautiful and the colour is cherry red (its a rainy dreary day and the light isn’t doing the colour any justice)
Sadly as soon as it went on keira pulled it off and wouldn’t wear it and kept pulling the neck away….I think I might need to put her in a skivvy (which we don’t even own) in order to get it worn and I’m so sad because I’ve been so excited to see miss keira wear it.
Wow its been a day of fabric deliveries around here…I can’t carry any rolls upstairs either so the hallway looks like a fabric shop and keira keeps picking them up and saying ‘I’m making a dress’…..one day Keira one day….
I have a few favourites…this lovely linen with the famous sights of paris
yummy afternoon tea which I think looks very shabby chic
and a new little red riding hood design which is very small and subtle but super cute
plus who can say no to little bambi’s
all up in the shop now…. and a free fat quarter or two with every order of new fabric
oh its nice to be home, we came home to a nice clean house (until I made the mistake of walking into my sewing room and remembered my cleaning didn’t extend that far in the house)….and we got some nice mail too including this super cute softie made for keira in the EB softies swap..thank you to the blogless but super talented kat for this lovely…Keira kept saying my mail my mail as she hugged her
I’ve almost finished the mountains of laundry and hope to get time to read through the mountains of books and magazines I came home with…including this find in a $1 craft book from my favourite op shop in Sydney.
and the new lotta prints book which is just lovely and includes stencils to make your own prints…..this is a fabulous book and has projects on fabric, clothing, walls, paper and more….
the granny squares are coming along nicely but I do have a small issue with tension but for my first project I’ve decided to make a dolls blanket for miss keira rather than be ambitious and tackle a baby blanket……
a few more hours of washing and cleaning and I can get cracking on some crafty projects…24 week belly shot coming on wednesday and its growing since the scales tell me I’ve gained 11 kilos…and when I first heard my targeted weight gain was 18 kilos I thought it was impossible but looks like I’m heading that way!!!!!!!!!
our little holiday has flown by and it hasn’t been a holiday for everyone with retro daddy working in the office till 2am most days…..Keira and I have filled our days with lots of get togethers, shopping, trips to the park (where the fear of watching 3 of my own children in the park at the same time finally dawned on me), take aways, room service and early nights.
my poor poor credit card is just as weary as my feet….and this is how a day out with mummy ends
my favourite purchase so far has been this book…material obsession full of gorgeous and inspirational quilts ranging from easy to advanced and will definitely become a treasured and well used book
I’ve also indulged in some japanese craft books (we’re back today for some more)
and I’ve even managed to squeeze in some crafting with granny squares for a pram blanket
and I made Peg a cute toddler hat from Junior Knits by Debbie Bliss…I used Dashing a great aran yarn from SL that they sadly discontinued and was the absolute perfect substitute for cashmerino aran at a fraction of the price..
Well my little sister is now married into the Adams family (yes there were a few jokes)…..after 12 days of rain the weather was just perfect and this was the view as we were getting ready
keira looked every part the adorable flower girl
I did all my matron of honour duties and I managed to churn out 200 chocolates and 50 boxes perfectly….
the bride looked beautiful and I looked very pregnant and decided big is beautiful would be my motto for the day
and here is our little family…..awwwwwwwwwwwwwww
more photos going to flickr soon for the wedding obsessed…sorry I’m fighting retro daddy for use of his computer so I’ve only managed 5 with a lot more to come.
and I was pretty hopeless at both!!!! Here are my granny squares from last night at brown owls…the one on the right is my first gone wrong and the one on the left is granny square made good! Thanks to the girls who helped me especially Steph who got me granny squaring………baby blankets here I come….and reversing out of the brown owls carpark saw me get stuck on a kerb outside and have to accelerate hard to get off it with some noise…I was a nervous wreck driving home dreading the damage but appears the only damage was to my nerves as car and kerb are fine….but now I’m psyching myself up to park to do the groceries this morning…I think you need a special lesson to park these things…
and here is my cutie at her craft table doing some colouring……she’s a huge colourer at the moment
and look whats going in the store this afternoon….gorgeous new fabrics by hollabee…these are just gorgeous and I think I need to reorder some more especially since orange and green are to die for. Well done Bianca they are just lovely.
well for 17 of 30 of the macro challenge here is a quilt that I started a while ago, did some hand quilting, folded neatly and put away thinking i had forever to finish it…but I don’t so out it has come today to be finished and packed up for sydney…. 
proof its been neatly folded away and put in a safe place
and this is keira modelling a toddler version of the umbilical cord hat ( no suprise its made from bendigo rustic 8ply)…I made some mathematical variations to get a larger size and keira still needs a bigger size so a few more calculations and I’ve cast on 104 stitches to make a keira size….
we took the photo at night and its a well known fact that keira doesn’t have a strict bedtime routine….I think its a combination of her not liking to go to sleep alone (not for long since she’ll be sharing with 2 little people before she knows it), retro daddy coming home very late every night and me not being a strict mummy…but we do have fun..
miss keira’s flower girl shoes….I still need to get my matron of honour silver shoes and would love a pair like this but they don’t do my size
