Toastandcupcakes.

hi there,

not sure anyone is still reading this but i would just like to point you in the direction of my new blogging adventure:
toast and life
i found wordpress very, very off putting and am hoping that a fresh start will mean a blog i stick as i have really missed blogging!

so please update your bookmarks and hopefully i’ll see you there x

grey and black striped top- the warehouse
grey cardigan- cotton on
black skirt- farmers
navy blue tights- somewhere in london c/o my sister
blue beads- salvation army in nelson (they are the ones we used in primary school to learn hand-eye coordination)
black boots – no1 shoe warehouse

It’s been talked about and talked about as each blog-writer I read has fallen pregnant: What on earth does one wear when they have a huge bump?
There is a distinct lack of decent maternity wear around, and the few things I have found that I would actually wear I’m not willing to fork out the dosh for. I mean, I barely pay more than $50 for anything that isn’t only for temporary use! Call me stingy but I really don’t have the cash to be forking out up to $100 for a top that will only fit me well for about 8 weeks.
So in an attempt to force myself away from the yoga pants and 3/4 shorts I ended up wearing last time, I have decided to do some ‘wardrobe remix’ type shots of myself over the next six weeks. Hopefully they might encourage/inspire other people away from the terrors of standard maternity garb too.

Saturdays outfit, worn into town, around home and out to play poker in the evening:
Black singlet and cardigan- Glassons
Skirt- a thrifted maxi which was then cut at the top where it would fit and hemmed at the bottom.
Green tights- one of two pairs of tights I still fit, from Topshop via my sister in London.
Black boots- super comfy, from no1 shoe warehouse.
Wooden cat brooch- thrifted from the Salvation army in Whakatane. I love it because it looks a bit like our cat, and mostly because it has green and white stripes.

Yesterday:

– Stewed feijoas – freezer now completely choc-a-block ready for wintery crumbles and breakfasts.
– Washing-  five loads!
– House mostly tidy – kitchen, lounge and bathroom all spotless and sparkling.
– Afternoon nap- after such a busy morning both the cat (Porridge) and I were knackered, so we had a wee lie down.

Today? I was meant to be sewing but, after five broken needles and a bleeding knee from falling off my chair, I have decided today is more of a ‘sit-on-my-bottom-and-surf-the-internet’ type of a day. Perhaps I’ll find some nice things to share with you tomorrow!

I have a few things on my ‘want‘ list that I can’t justify buying, especially on our new-found one-income budget.  I tend to only add things to my list that I miiiight be able to stretch to afford (there’s really no point ogling those $400 quilts etc) , so these are all things that aren’t ridiculously expensive but that I merely just can’t justify.

Please click on the image to be linked to the site. All photos are property of the person selling the item.

Also on my want list:
– A black ring sling (such as this or this) Although I’m thinking I’ll try my hand at dyeing my faded green one.
– Stylish maternity bras. Preferably like these New Zealand designed ones by Womama:  this and this.
– A few decent tops that will see me through the end of my pregnancy and into breast feeding, such as this:  harvest moon.

Lists are great, aren’t they? And the best part is I only have four things left on my ‘need‘ list.  (Hooded towels, facecloths, a few more fuzzibunz and a lascal buggy board.. just in case you’re as nosey as I am..) Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

So, last time I was pregnant I had a big long list of things I ‘needed’ for the new addition. Things like a cot, bedding, clothing, cloths, nappies etc. You know, essential stuff. It meant I got to do a fair bit of shopping, but also meant we ended up with a lot of things we didn’t actually need after all.
This time around my list of ‘needs’ was about three items long. We hung onto nearly everything from Aesop’s infancy, and thus, only really needed a few things to ‘winterify’ Aesop’s summery wraps and bedding.
That’s not to say that this wee bean won’t have any new things. Oh no sir, he’ll have new things. It just means we’ve been able to be a bit more picky in what he gets and that with a smaller ‘needs’ list I’ve been able to make a much longer ‘wants’ list with hopes of actually buying a few of the things on it.
I’ll write a post tomorrow about the things that I’ve found for my ‘wants’ list, but I thought today I could show you a few of the things I’ve made so far. Really nesting is only just beginning with 6 and a half weeks to go but, I feel like I’ve done pretty well so far!

– I was lucky enough last time to be sent a gorgeous nappy bag by a very generous blog reader. Unfortunately that bag saw so much wear that it near fell apart when I hauled it out of the cupboard a few weeks ago. So I decided to take it apart and re make it.  I used this fabric that Melissa very kindly sent me (which was the same as my childhood curtains!), re used the padding from the old bag and bought some water resistant black nylon for the lining. It has a pocket on the outside for my keys, and two sectioned pockets inside for baby bits and pieces.

– I’ve been looking on line for Merino wraps for months. I bought one on Trademe which is lovely, but at a minimum of $30 and up to $60!) a pop I couldn’t really afford more than one. Even buying the fabric new is expensive.  I was lucky enough to find this piece at the op shop for a measly $2. It has about three little moth holes in it, but hey for a saving of $28, I’m thinking the baby won’t notice!

– When Aesop was first born I made him a lion. I used a pattern and it’s safe to say I wasn’t stoked with how it turned out. I also made him a bird that I’m not overly fond of. So I decided I wanted to make the new child a toy too.  I must confess that this wee camel is inspire largely by one I saw on the naturebaby, but as someone who realllly doesn’t make soft toys, I’m pretty happy with how he turned out!

– Lastly,  but not leastly, Aesop waited a good long 3 years for his quilt to be finished so I decided I would have this one done in time!  Using some of my sewing scraps, the woollen inner from a vintage cot duvet, some calico and a bit of corduroy I managed to piece together a quilt that almost resembles the quilts that inspired it! woohoo.

I still have a few little projects in mind, but we’ll see how much I can get done before he comes out, I guess!

I’m one of those people who has an account with just about every online craft, parenting or networking site you can imagine. It always seems like a good idea to join and more often than not I never even return to the site after the initial visit. I’m starting to think my gullible-ness is causing me to be way, way too accessible online.
I have profiles on hyves.nl, facebook, bebo, oldfriends.co.nz and who knows how many others that I have joined and then forgotten.
Networking sites sort of make sense to me though. I mean, you make a profile and then you get to find, and nosy at information and photos of, people you wouldn’t usually be in contact with or people you haven’t seen for years. You can show them (a very limited and selective) account of what you’re doing in life and even join groups to show people what awesome things you’re into. It appeals to the nosey parker in me.
But then there’s Twitter.
I always swore I would never join Twitter, but me being me it didn’t take Abraham long to convince me to join. He told me it would be good for business. Pah. I don’t get Twitter. You don’t get to nosey at people’s photos, you can only write a really small bio so you don’t really find out about anyone and how much can you really say in one hundred and forty characters? Plus, it’s reallly hard to find anyone.

Someone shed a light, please? Or have I just become the latest victim of yet another fairly pointless internet fad? Does anyone else have a hopelessly large list of websites they belong to for no partiular reason?

(oh, and I’m sorry for the lack of new pictures, the weather has been awful. I hoped this linked in enough. Twitter.. bird.. yeah..)

Firstly, thank you for such a warm welcome back! I had no idea so many people would still have me in their blog readers! I’m honoured!

Things in our house are looking decidedly big at the moment.

Aesop celebrated his fourth birthday last month, much to my shock. I mean, really, it shouldn’t of been such a surprise, it has been four years since he was born, but by golly it doesn’t feel like that long. And I sure as heck don’t feel old enough to have a boy who is only one year off school!
He is over a metre tall and acts every bit his age. Both in the sense that he’s struggling with the hormone boost that arrives at four, and also in the sense that he’s interested in everything and comes up with multitudes of hilarious questions and comments on every subject you can imagine.
He has had many weeks lately where he pushes his boundaries right to the limit, causing plenty of time on the ‘naughty seat’ and plenty of gaps on his sticker chart. The sight of Aesop scowling and standing in the corner with his arms crossed in not uncommon at the moment. ‘ No! I won’t!’ and  ‘I’m very, very angry and I’m never going to be happy again’ aren’t uncommon things to hear either.
But he balances these beautifully with hysterical laughter caused by completely unfunny jokes, his never ending knowledge on topics I would never have imagined he knew about and questions that only a four year old could come out with. And while he might talk non-stop about ‘boy’ things like Star wars and Ben10 but it’s all worth it for the soppy loving hugs he slathers on us.
A lot of Aesop’s questions at the moment relate to babies and birth. He’s having a little brother soon, you see.
We made a calender to count down to the wee ones arrival after a few months of being asked daily ‘Is it June today?’ and I couldn’t count the number of times we’ve read the ‘Where do babies come from?’ book. He’s already picking out the toys he wants to share and the ones that ‘aren’t for eating’ and he is often seen sporting a soft toy in a sling. It’s safe to say he is pretttttty excited.

I’m excited too.
I’m must confess, I’m a wee bit nervous about how it’s all going to play out, and how exactly I’m going to cope with having two small people to look after though. After four years of just having one other person to run around after it’s going to be a huge adjustment for all of us.
And I can’t help feeling a little like we’re going back to step one. We’ve worked through so many phases with Aesop, and have finally reached a stage where he can do the majority of things for himself and we can finally spend some time doing things we enjoy while he occupies himself. It’s a scary thought to think that our afternoons of me sewing and Aesop quietly playing Lego in his room are about to be all over rover.
It’s also a wee bit frightening when I realise how many things I have/had forgotten about pregnancy and newborns. I had forgotten all about the extreme indigestion, the intensely achy pubic bones and just how hard it is to sleep in the last few months of pregnancy. I’m very worried that I have also forgotten quite how to handle, bath and deal with a screaming infant. I’m sort of counting on the old saying that it’s ‘like riding a bike’ and will all come flowing back to me as the child flows out. (It does, right??)

So all in all, our household is gearing up for a very exciting/scary/wonderful time in the next few months.
I’m trying to be realistic and I’m definitely expecting days where I want to hide under the covers, but I’m also hoping for some days where I  have time to float on air thinking about how blessed I am to have such a beautiful family. Because really, with a wonderful husband, a delightfully clever and funny son and a bump so big I can barely see my toes, right now I already feel like one of the luckiest people in the world.

A few new things in my Etsy shop this week.
They, like this return to blogging, have been awhile coming. But, hopefully, that means that there’s all the more for me to write about!
So for the few people who might still have me on their blog reader : hello!
And for to everyone else who happens to stumble accross my wee blog: Welcome!

It’s going to be so good to be back.