what i wore wednesday

moved

On the 6th of December we said goodbye to our second home. The place we brought our little girl home to. 

I was feeling really fine right until the moment we stood in those empty rooms and closed the door forever. I had a little tear in my eye as I thought about all the lovely memories I have in that house. 

Luckily, even though I had to give back the keys, I don't ever have to give back the memories.

For the summer we are living in a summer accommodation place where Myl is working. Then at the end of Jan we are moving near to where Myl studies. It's all pretty exciting. We live much closer to the city and lots of shops and cafes and parks. Lucy is enjoying the city life and I'm looking forward to our first babycino date.

I haven't had regular internet which is why it's been a little quiet on here but it's kinda been nice to just hang out with my little family. I think I might take a bit of a break over the holidays, get some guest posts on here and gear up for a new and exciting LOIKYG initiative for next year.

***

golden slumbers

night one - Friday

On Friday night I was not really looking forward to my first single parenting night as Myl was away camping with his youth group. Lu and I did the whole bedtime routine. Dinner, bath, story, milk and sleep and off she went into dreamland... till 5 30.  For those of you who enjoy regular uninterrupted sleep till 10am this is a BIG DEAL. I have not slept that long in such a long time.

night two - last night

I put Lucy in her cot after Myles did the bedtime routine. She woke up and up and up and up. We hit 9pm and she went to sleep for two hours and then up and up and up howling each time. Crying in her cot, crying in our arms. I gave up and mighty Myl took over. Finally she fell asleep in our bed. (Co sleeping has taken a break as our bed is smaller in our summer house.)

So confused. Baby girl you are confusing.

eight months old

my little girl is eight months old.

Lucy is getting so big and so clever. She is changing every day.

This month she has started to crawl. After weeks of frustration she finally clicked it all together in her head and has a very lovely jaunty arms and leg crawl. Right on the day we were moving house.

She moves around following me and pulling herself up on things. She figures out where she wants to go and then gets there. I think she gets a pretty big kick out of that.

Lucy has been chatting away like a pro. She says "dada" a lot but also "mama" when she is sad, hello when she sees someone and something that sounds an awful lot like "kisses".

She has developed some very sweet new laughs and smiles.

We are enjoying the wonderful world of solids and are getting the hang of three meals a day (plus milk). 

Lucy likes fruit, breakfast cereal, yoghurt, toast with vegimite, and pasta but will eat pretty much anything that I am eating.

Lucy now has two teeth which is very cute but sometimes very painful as she has discovered a new game called "let's bite mama". Not great.

Her sleeping has been erratic. Good one night, terrible the next. A normal night consists of two wakeups. One for milk one not. A not normal night consists of wakeups on the hour and lots of sad Lucy and mama. Or me sleepwalking and waking up with a fed baby in my bed (eek!).

We have moved for the summer into a holiday boarding house where Myl has a job. Lucy has been a pro and seems not to have noticed the difference. I am so thankful! She enjoys having lots of people around to look at her and gets a bit jealous when people pay attention to the other baby in the house. A bit of an attention seeker.

Lucy saw her first fireworks at our church carols on Saturday. She was amazed and shocked all at once. She had her first little stand (for two secondsish). She has had so many firsts I can't remember them all.

She is such a happy lovely little thing. I'm so lucky to be her mama. 

moving house

Source: ellengiggenbach.blogspot.com via Crafty on Pinterest

it's getting a little dusty round here on the old blog because we are moving house.

It looks like a great big bomb has been dropped in our living room and there are boxes everywhere.

In the midst of this little Lucy has started to crawl! eeeek.
What can I say, gotta give her points for timing.

I've got some lovely pictures and posts to write but they are going to have to wait.

My packing awaits.

sweet eats - open sarnie

This is what we eat for dinner with the last vegis in our fridge.

capsicum
mushroom
cream cheese
bread

five years ago

I had to delve into the forgotten realm of myspace to find this photo but this was taken five years ago today when a young girl who kinda liked a young guy took a train trip to his home.

They met up, they hung out, they frolicked on the beach, they mysteriously were wearing the same colour, they caught the train back. They decided that they were more than just good friends and the rest is history.

Happy five years my love. They've been the best.

on ya bike

On one of the hotter days we have seen this year we decided to go bike riding.
We hired the bikes from the watershed in Newtown. $10 membership and then free bike riding for up to three hours. Pretty sweet deal.

We arrived and sorted out our bikes. Earlier that day we had searched K-mart for a baby helmet and made do with a toddler one that was only just a bit too big. Myles was to ride with Lucy in a big bike with baby carriage at the front and room for our  bags. We put Lucys bright pink helmet on and she began to wail. She has just learned how to take her hat off and was trying with all her might to stop us from putting it on. Finally, we got her in the seat. She was much happier when the bike was moving. We set off through the back streets of Newtown and the wailing began. A very sad little face could be seen in the bucket of Myls bike. A very sad, very hot face.

So we took a break in a park. Lucy had some milk and we played a while. Back in the bike she was a little better. We pedaled down to Sydney park. Just as we were arriving Lucy decided she had had enough. Luckily we were at the park. We rested a while in the shade and Lu was feeling much better even though the was a bit hot and bothered. We made a little nest in her seat with blankets and things and set off around the park. There are lots of lovely bike trails and a great playground that we will come back to when Lucy is a bit older.

We decided to quit while we were ahead and made our way back on the other side of King street. Through the pretty streets. On our way someone very small and sweet fell asleep. Even through she looked a little uncomfortable she slept for a good long while. It was very nice.

We got back to the watershed and waited for Lu to wake up. She had a good long nap and woke up with a smile. It was nice and cool inside. Then we went and had lunch at Berkelouw. We had an antipasto plate for two. It was dee-licious.

welcome to the family

Last Sunday our little Lucy was baptised.

It was a pretty lovely occasion. Friends and family had traveled up for the occasion and it was exciting just to have everyone in the one spot.

Lucy looked very lovely in another granny creation. Mum made the whole dress and embroidered the flowers from my wedding bouquet on the front and round the hem.

Lucy was baptised to say "welcome to the family." She is part of our family and we are part of God's family. That's a pretty lovely thing.
We are so thankful to God for giving us Lucy to care for. She is such a blessing in our lives.
On Sunday we promised to teach her about Jesus and bring her up with love in Gods family. It is my prayer that we will do this well. That we will answer her questions and love her dearly just as God does.

tiramisu!

I thought I'd share the recipe for Myles birthday tiramisu cake. Even though it looked like a massive snowy landslide it tasted yummy.


Step 1 - Make this cake. Mostly because I didn't have any eggs in the house but it turned out to be really tasty and quite perfect for a tiramisu.

Step 2 - Pour 1 cup of coffee and liberal amounts of tia maria onto cake. Leave for a few hours so that the coffee and booze seep into the cake.

Step 3 - Whip 500ml of cream with 1 tsp icing sugar and 1tsp vanilla essence.

Step 4 - Place one cake on your plate. Cover the top with chocolate sauce. I used good ole Cottees chocolate topping but you could use anything. Topping, ganache, whatever you like.
pile on top half the cream. Add the next layer of cake and do the same.
Sprinkle some nuts on top and sift cocoa on top.

Add candles and start to sing.

granny makes

You may have noticed some of my mamas creations before. She has made a cardigan, booties, bonnets, beanies and dresses. This weekend another of her beautiful dresses will be unveiled at Lucy's baptism.

Here is one of her latest beauties. The romper. My Nana has these amazing books of patterns for baby clothes that she used for my dad and aunt and uncle. She passed them on to my Mum and I. Mum drafted this pattern out of one of the books for Lucy just as my Nana did for my sister and I.

Lucy has two of these rompers and they are just perfect for a summers day. It's been getting hotter and hotter here.

What a rollicking double chin!


Lucy is lucky to have such a trendy sewer for a granny.

hip-hip hooray!

We had a dumpling birthday party on Saturday.
The dumplings were from Shanghai Night in Ashfield.

So cheap and tasty and so much better getting takeaway and enjoying them al fresco than eating in their crowded restaurant. It's pretty near impossible to take Lucy out and have her behave past about seven so we hung out in the backyard and she went off to bed when she was ready. Perfect.

We really enjoy desserts in my family so with two birthday boys we had two cakes. My sister-in-law made a tasty mud cake for my brother and the above is my effort. It's a tiramisu cake with a landslide of cream.

Fine birthday fun!

pillowcase

I have been experimenting with pillowcase dresses for Lucy.
I found inspiration here and here but decided to just wing it and make up a pattern myself.
The first dress I made was much too big. Lucy looked a little like Dobby the house elf. We'll save that dress for a later dress.

The second one I made probably won't fit her for long but was more of a success.

It's made out of some fat quarters I had lying around. It's somewhere in the middle between a dress and a top which is just perfect for a little one who is experimenting with crawling.

and I thought I would throw in a picture of some gigantic eyes.

Can I just say this kid loves to take photos. This same day she did a pose that would make Melinda Tankard-Reist cringe. Everytime I get the camera out she is so keen on having her picture taken.
What have I created?

the things i like best about him

It was Myls birthday on the weekend.
We celebrated with a dumpling party in our back yard. It's my brothers birthday on the same day so we had plenty of guests and plenty of fun.

As we were eating we were talking about favourite memories of the two fellows and the things we like best about them.
There are so many things I like about Myl.

I like most of all that he loves God.
I like that he is unbelievably generous to me.
I like his smile.
I like that his eyes are the exact same colour as Lucy's.
I like his facial hair.
I like that he thinks his beard makes him more of a man.

I like that he enjoys when I cook for him.
I like holding his hand.
I like how hard he works at college.
I like it when we go for milkshakes.
I like watching him with Lucy. I swoon.
I like how he protects us from scary and dangerous things like cockroaches.

I like that he is strong.
I like that he isn't very artistic so I have free range on the house.
I like it when he sings.
I like hearing the door open when he comes home.
I like that we have so much fun together.
I like hiding in his shoulder when I am sad.

I like remembering the day I married him.
I like remembering the day our little one was born.
I like that he is my best friend.
I like thinking about our future.

Happy Birthday wonderful man.

things i love - crafts

here are some things I would love to make. Lucy has been sleeping a little more reliably in the evening so crafterevenings her I come!

Source: prudentbaby.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: prudentbaby.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: prudentbaby.com via Erin on Pinterest

All these lovely projects are from Prudent Baby which is a fabulous craft blog. I read it and swoon.

i -heart- curry

I've been taking part in a Heart Foundation program called "Mums United." It's all about educating families about healthy eating.
They have some really fabulous recipes on their site and all have the tick of approval.

Here is one that I made. It was really tasty Vegetable and Chickpea Curry
This mild curry has the added benefit of fibre and protein and lots of vegetables to help on your way to five a day.
Serves: 4 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
2 tablespoons soybean oil 1 brown onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic, crushed 3 long green chillies, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon dried turmeric 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons garam masala 2 potatoes, cut into large cubes 2 carrots, cut into thick slices 2 zucchini, cut into thick slices 425g can chopped tomatoes 250ml reduced salt vegetable stock 400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 200g baby spinach leaves, washed 1 cup fresh or frozen peas Poppy seed rice: 1 1/2 cups basmati rice 2 tablespoons poppy seeds microwave poppadoms to serve   Remember all fresh fruit and vegetables automatically qualify for the Tick.
Instructions
1 Heat the oil in a large pot, add the onion and ginger and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, chillies and spices and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. 2 Add the potatoes and carrots and cook until the vegetables are coated in the spices. Stir in the zucchini, tomatoes and stock and simmer. Reduce the heat and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the curry has thickened slightly. Add the chickpeas and stir. 3 Add the peas and spinach; cook just until the spinach wilts and the chickpeas are soft. 4 To make the poppy seed rice, put the rice and poppy seeds in a pot, add 450ml of water and bring to the boil. Cook over a high heat until tunnels appear in the rice. Reduce the heat to very low, cover and allow to steam for 10 minutes or until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. 5 Serve the curry on top of the rice and accompany with microwaved poppadoms.

seven months old

my little girl is seven months old.

wow. This one really snuck up on me.
We celebrated by going to pancakes on the rocks and ordering chocolate pancakes. I felt just a little bad eating the delicious morsels in front of my sweet baby girl. But not too bad. When they arrived she stuck her hands right into the chocolate sauce. I had to quickly wash those hands before she tasted the sweet taste of chocolate and never ate healthy again.

Here are some firsts for this month
- First tooth. A little tooth is poking up out of her gum and it looks like there is one more following it.
- First ride in the car facing forwards. So so exciting.
- First proper meals. Lunchtime eating fun.
- First crawl backwards. Loads of moving around in circles. Sitting to tummy to back. This kid is mobile!
- First time she said dada. And now she wont stop!


little loves

- splashing in the bath oh so much.
- drinking water from her sippy and spitting it out again.
- having her face wiped after lunch.
- rocking and singing.
- standing up on her own two feet. (while holding hands)
- baloons!
- dada
- sitting in boxes.

little dislikes

- nappy changes while tired/hungry
- being alone
- sleeping in her cot
- plastic/newspaper/other fun stuff being taken away.

She is such a smiley little thing and such a joy to be around. I'm learning to filter out all the things I don't need to worry about when being a mum and trying to concentrate on being a happy mama.
Lucy is getting to be a cheeky little fella. I think we are going to have a bit of a trickster on our hands. But a loveable trickster.

Oh yeah, that's right.

Source: etsy.com via Jena on Pinterest

I remembered something today.

I wasn't going to read baby books. I wasn't going to try and be the worlds most perfect parent.
My plan was to me my little ones mama.

Way back when I  first found out about my little one I prayed this prayer.


I pray that you would know the God who made you.
That you would love Him and trust him to look after you.


I pray that you would always find joy even when things are tricky.


I pray that you would take chances. Do things that interest you regardless of what other people tell you is the right thing to do.


I pray that you would not be too scared to admit you are wrong when you do something that interests you and it blows up in your face.


I pray that nothing will hurt you but I know this prayer is futile. I pray that you have the strength to overcome those hurts.


I pray that you would love your Mama and Dad. That we would love you and that you would never be afraid to talk to us.


I pray that you would be healthy, energetic and fun. That the world might be your oyster.


I pray that you will have a contagious laughter, a gentle spirit and an inquisitive mind.


I pray that you will have friends to love and be loved by. That your family will adore you and that you will have siblings to boss around.


I pray that you will know that Jesus died for you and that fact will change your life. I pray that it deeply impacts you and you will live your life for him.


Amen




Nope, nothing in there about sleeping through the night in your own bed. Nothing about eating the right food, napping for 2-3 hours. Nothing about crawling, sitting, walking. 

Yet, for the last few weeks I have been beating myself up about these things. These things that simply don't matter in the scheme of things.

I forgot about being Lucy's best mama in the quest to be the worlds best mama.
I forgot about listening to her. 
I forgot about enjoying her.

So now I'm going to read those books with a hefty big grain of salt. I'm going to do things the way my heart and Lucy's actions tell me to. I'm going to remember this prayer I prayed for my little girl and remember that these are the things I want for her.

our day in the sunshine.