Charlotte Emily

Introducing...

Charlotte Emily, born at home last Thursday, weighing 8lb 9oz.

We're completely smitten with this little bundle of joy, and delighted she is here safe and sound.

If things are a bit quiet on here or I'm slow with email responses for the next little while, you know why!

Testing the tea mug with some lemon cake

Just how many slices of cake should you limit yourself to in a day, I wonder?

I am currently enjoying my second slice of lemon cake over that blissful post bedtime mug of tea and some TV. I'm not admitting to how many other baked goodies I have sampled over the course of the day, but there are some clues in the pictures that follow.

There are certain things a household should never run out of. Loo roll being one. Baked beans, bread and cheese being another three, if you ask my husband. Brownie ingredients, if you ask me.

Today, for about the third time since getting myself into the "any day now" mindset, I carried out a round of `essential' baking. For me, tins full of delicious goodies to go with a mug of tea are far more important and comforting a prospect than a freezer full of wholesome home cooked meals to lean on when the house is hit by a new born.

Here's what I've been up to:

Victoria sponge, with added lemon zest and almonds on top

2 bars of wonderful Green and Blacks 85% and a slab of butter going into the melting pot for brownies...

My favourite secret ingredient - I substitute this for vanilla when making brownies and sponge cakes

Littlest girl was quick to grab these...

...before embarking on her own at home version of her favourite biscuit decorating activity from pre school

I challenge any one to make brownies and not dip a finger or two into the mix for a taste!

Flap jack, made using my sister in law Debbie's recipe

See those crispy syrupy bits? 

"Don't lick your fingers until the end..."

Making a lemon syrup to drizzle onto the bottom layer of the Victoria sponge...

...before topping with freshly made lemon curd and whipped cream and sandwiching together.

Feet up. Peace and quiet. Bliss.

Surely the tins will still have goodies left in them by the time baby is born, right?

Beware of the pregnant women

It is best not to approach pregnant women in hot weather - especially if they are overdue and you are about to make a comment about how hot it is.

Assume they will be irritable, and just hand them a nice cold can of Diet Coke.

I could go on and provide an extensive list of all the things people have said that have annoyed me. But I fear I will do myself no favours, and just sound irritable. People are just trying to be nice. I know this. Tennis is a very good topic of conversation, in case you were wondering (wasn't it just brilliant?!).

Once I have my feet up on the sofa, having got the girls to school on time and put all the annoyances associated with that task on a day when it has not gone smoothly behind me, I know I am still very much in the lucky club. I hope that the baby hurries up and arrives soon though - before I alienate myself from all the well meaning mums on the school run who have the misfortune of bumping into me before I have had chance to regain a healthy sense of perspective on life.

What you see before you is what I have been doing whilst putting my feet up. This is the book I mentioned my lovely friend and Queen of Crochet, Iciar, had given me as a house warming present.

Here's my first ever attempt at blocking squares together, all ready to be turned into the front of a cushion. Not too shabby, I think.

I think my plan is going to be to do one big square for the back of the cushion - just in one plain colour. The book is pretty good for instructions - I have managed to teach myself some new stitches, and am hoping the end result of the cushion back will look okay, too. There's still quite a long way to go on the back, as I am winging it by just doing extra rounds of the pattern until the square matches the blocked front in size.

Question is, will I finish it before the baby is born?

A whole day to myself

Definition of bliss: eating warm rhubarb crumble and ice cream alone

So we are playing the waiting for baby game.

Our official due date was yesterday. Cue plenty of comments of "Not had it yet, then?" and "Still here!" every time I leave the house. As it goes, there have been lots of lovely compliments coming my way about how good I am looking for this stage in pregnancy. At this rate, my ego will be in cahoots with the baby and tell her to stay put a bit longer. People are being so nice.

I am pleased to say that baby has started behaving at night again. More or less. I slept beautifully well last night. Such a simple thing, and makes all the difference to how you feel.

Progress so far on cushion squares

Yesterday, I ventured to John Lewis for more wool. I figured it is probably one of the best shops to be looked after in should I have had a dramatic Hollywood style waters bursting in public and baby being born ten minutes later.

Any ideas on what I should do with my new wool?

That didn't happen. But there was a sale on, and so a few extra balls of wool slipped into my basket, along with this nice mug. A possible contender for a new favourite tea mug. I'll let you know how it holds up, and whether I like the way my tea tastes out of it. Weird but true. You can't place too high an importance on the right mug for your tea, not to mention good biscuits and what constitutes the perfect shade for tea to be. But that is a whole other post.

Littlest girl sometimes rather confusedly thinks the Queen has been named after her... and even when this is cleared up, is still delighted they share the same name - almost taking it as a personal compliment to herself.

I am a lucky heavily pregnant lady today, as I have been landed with the whole of it to myself. Thanks to children at school, and the littlest girl being invited to play with a friend this afternoon.

I am soaking up the free time. This morning included making a rhubarb crumble (plus a little secret bonus one for me to enjoy during my peaceful lunchtime); ironing a dozen shirts whilst watching rubbish on TV (day time TV seems more tolerable if ironing and you get to feel virtuous at the end); cleaning the tadpole bowl (don't even ask how I have ended up responsible for half a dozen little frogs, but the children - and their Daddy - are excited by them); a long conversation with a utility company setting up all house move stuff, and, now, refilling my nice new mug before settling down to crochet and then Wimbledon. Come on, Andy!

Too much information?

Disco dancing baby

Okay, so I spoke too soon.

Made by Amanda

I was woken up at around 3 am last night by what can only be described as a baby trying to disco dance its way out of me. Is this it, I wondered.

After a good twenty minutes of trying to get back to sleep, I gave in and plodded downstairs to watch TV. Clearly the baby does not want me lying down, I thought.

Just as well the Wimbledon highlights were on to keep me entertained.

So still no baby. Not that I am wishing the time away. Although, keep up the Saturday Night Fever act and I might serve an eviction notice. But not until the husband is safely back from a wedding reception in London for the night. Now would be a bad time for the baby to come.

So I am spending my evening in a very sedate way, on the sofa, doing a bit of crochet. I am up to my tenth square out of sixteen for the front of a cushion for the front room. I've decided to make all the blocks the same - mainly because that was the easiest decision to take. Although I am about to run out of the green wool and will need to head back to John Lewis for more if I am to complete the cushion. Will I finish it before the baby is born, I wonder? Oh the drama.

Wouldn't it be convenient to have a bit of predictability about when babies might arrive?!

A bit more waiting means I will be more rested, baby will hopefully have chance to fatten up nicely (I do love a good pair of wobbly squeezable baby thighs), and I can continue to enjoy doing some of the things I'll be unlikely to have time for a while once baby does appear.

If baby does take a while longer to appear, I will buy extra wool on top of that needed for the cushion, and try making my own versions of the gorgeous little hat and booties given to me by my friend Amanda. Aren't they lovely?

This week, the littlest girl was invited to her first birthday parties in her own right. Cue a couple of birthday t shirts from me, and excited talk from her about party bags and sweeties.

I've enjoyed doing some baking and getting friends round to share the results...

Vintage tea set given to me by the lovely Mrs B

A shamelessly proud parent moment, but look at this lovely picture that came home from school from the eldest girl. I wasted no time in sticking it in a frame and putting it on the wall.

Having my children's artwork throughout the house makes me happy.

That is all for now. I might finish square eleven and then head to bed...

Not long now..

Rather embarrassingly, the hubby returned home from work just at the point I'd figured out how to use the self timer on my camera and was mid way through attempting to take these awkwardly posed pictures of myself wearing my newly finished scarf. Oops!

I've had a dream of a day. There is no denying that. After a few weeks of frantic `nesting' since moving into the new house, I now have nothing much to fill my diary beyond setting myself daily tasks such as `buy some sunglasses' (tick) whilst waiting for baby to arrive.

I am lucky enough to be feeling good. Really good. Today was a sunny day, and I decided to wear my polka dot frock just for the heck of it, and that definitely enhanced my good mood. I love love love the swishy swish of the silk as I glide/waddle about the place. And, I detect a certain amusement for those around me as they marvel at the ridiculous side profile the polka dot tent gives the bump and congratulate me on managing to stand up. I am bringing smiles to people's faces with my gravity defying bump.

I'm so excited about the prospect of meeting the baby. Maybe more so than the previous pregnancies... not that I'd admit that in front of the girls, of course. I'm enjoying getting plenty of sleep and having loads of time to myself whilst the littlest girl is at pre school.

Smug? Possibly, but I know my time will come soon enough. There is a good reason sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, and when it hits, these big sunglasses will come in handy.

After a relaxing morning, I was unexpectedly treated to an equally relaxing afternoon. The littlest girl and I had lunch together, and then she took herself off to bed!

Knowing I'd pay for it later at bedtime (I did), I decided to let her sleep - and then made myself a cup of tea and took it to bed and put the radio on. I could be giving birth any day now, so I should conserve my energy, right?!

I did a spot of crocheting, and then, not remotely sleepy, took myself off downstairs and made this silk scarf. I used the same pattern and instructions as my birdie scarf - only, being lazy, I just traced the dimensions from the original scarf, so it was a lot quicker to make.

As you can see, I've used the leftover material from the frock, and coupled it with some tangerine coloured satin I bought with the scarf in mind.

A top tip (from my mum) if you do decide to make your own silk scarf is to use a nice fine ball point needle. Avoids all tension headaches, even if the material is still a slippery customer to work with.

Anyway, that's about it from me for now. I'm off to bed, wondering whether tonight it going to be the night baby decides to make an appearance...

The Polka Dot Tent

Polka dot frock

Pamela was right. You cannot be too over dressed for fish and chips. Especially not when you're hosting a party, and have spent the best part of a fortnight feeling rather ropey due to dodgy iron levels. The combination of iron tablets (and plenty of steak and broccoli) kicking in, this frock and a new lipstick to go with it were just the thing to get me ready for a lovely night with friends.

Best not to mention the ever so slightly wonky mirror. The husband has already made that mistake. I'll get round to correcting it one day. Let's just say my impatience got the better of me, and this was the result of my best efforts with a pencil, a set square and a drill. That mirror is a lot heavier than you'd imagine, and I am sure it's the factory fixtures on the mirror itself that are a bit out, and not my measuring...

The dress is a beauty to wear. The silk is suitably swishy and luxurious feeling. I don't know why I held off finishing the thing for so long, as I thoroughly loved wearing it. Still, I plan to adjust it ready for next summer, so I can enjoy wearing it when I am about a third of the size I am now if this photo is anything to go by.

Nearly 39 weeks - nothing subtle about this bump...

I don't think I look that enormous - until I turn sideways, that is! And then for the comedy bump, and the realisation that turning sideways to let someone pass you in a corridor just doesn't help.

Honey Chocolate Cake, Nigella's Feast

I am going to make a bold statement now, and say that this cake is the only recipe you need ever bother with when it comes to fulfilling your gooey chocolate cake needs. Nigella has cracked the art of gooey chocolate cake. You won't regret making this. My only regret was that there was only the tiniest slither left for me by the time I'd served everyone else some.

I think it's funny I am pictured here with my friend and running partner Louise, as we are about to tuck into our fish and chips. I've missed our Sunday morning runs together where we put the world to rights, and am looking forward to a return to that after baby is born.

And here is another friend I met through running when pushing our children round the park as babies in prams. Although since those days, Iciar has also become a true queen of crochet - and is regularly seen wearing beautiful cardigans she has made herself.

Her house warming present to me was a fabulous book on crochet squares. And no, it has not taken me long to get started on something, not least because I already had some wool and a hook that I had no fixed plans for beyond `something purple to go in the front room'.

I am trying to slow down and not spend the little amount of time left before birth rushing about the place. Making little squares (maybe for a cushion if I get enough of them done?) may be just the thing to keep me happy on the sofa and save my energy for what's ahead.

A  reminder of a very happy evening with lovely friends

Squirrel Roman Blind

Still feeling buoyed up by the success of my first Roman blinds, this week I decided to make another one.

We've been in our new house for almost a month now - and, believe it or not, this is the first bit of sewing I've done here. Gulp.

Making this blind was my reward to myself at the end of decorating what will be the baby's room. I'm not sure what the blue and pink paint was all about, but it made this room a prime candidate for the white paint treatment once I'd finished my own bedroom.

The fairies had to go.

And it wasn't long after taking the steamer to the vinyl border that I had a moment of oh heck what have I started, as bits of the lining paper started coming away with it.

I cannot claim to have done a perfect job on this room. Far from it. But, I am learning that decorators' caulk and sandpaper are my friends, and, given the time and other obvious physical restrictions on me at the moment, I'm happy with the result.

Even if it was not without its dramas along the way. With an almost finished room, I needed more paint for the last bit of skirting board. The clear up involved after a full tin of satin paint being dropped all over the drive and pavement outside my house, as the bag it was in promptly broke as I lifted it out of the boot of the car, honestly made me wonder whether I was about to have the baby there and then.

Ever had a moment where you just don't know where to begin in clearing up mess?! With no one around to help, and littlest girl on the loose, too, as it was just after pre school pick up that the unfortunate incident happened, I had no choice but to get on with it.

An empty cereal box, some newspapers, and a lot of cans full of water and scrubbing later, the paint is gone.

There is a certain irony that the whole decorating process until this point had gone so smoothly (despite plenty of people warning me against ladders in my condition), and that the thing that nearly tipped the balance was a simple task of unloading shopping out of the car.

After all that effort, making the blind was a joy.

On other news. Our cat has been missing for 48 hours. Even after wee-on-new-bed-gate, I must admit to lying awake worrying about her last night. She has just walked in ten minutes ago with a loud miaow as if to say `Where's my food, then?'. I am happy.

And, as of this morning, that silk polka dot dress is finished. Yes, I can hardly believe it either. But, I have created a TENT I tell you.

Pictures of me in this garment for your own amusement will follow shortly, I promise.

I plan to give my new frock its maiden (and possibly only) outing when I host my grand `Fish & Chips and Chocolate Cake' house warming party tomorrow evening. Because, as my friend Pamela commented, you can never be too over dressed for fish and chips, right?