goals for March

I think I failed miserably on two of my February goals. 

I aimed 1- to treat myself a little (hair, pedicure, cinema...) and 2- to get outdoors as much as possible.

I didn't treat myself to any of those things (though I'm not complaining, I'm a very lucky girl to be even contemplating those things I know) and during the second part of the month I hardly stepped foot outside unless I had to. Because I've had another foul virus and it felt like Antarctica out there.

But I did manage to salvage goal 3 which was to begin organising stuff for the new baby. So not a total fail. 

So I'll be carrying the other two over into March. And this time I'm on it.

(Unless I'm still ill or the temperature drops below freezing, which are both realistic occurrences I have to admit.)

But my other goal is to sort out my art work, get my new work on etsy and organise my big cartel shop. All things I need to focus on now before my brain goes baby. So roll on tomorrow. This month I mean business.
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organising March

I found this free printable calendar here at zugalerie.blogspot.fr and thought it'd be perfect for my desk make-over. Maybe you've seen it already but I'm so pleased with it I thought I'd share it with you. Each month there'll be a new calendar page to print out. Missed out on January and February's printables but pleased to be nabbing one for March.

So here's to a marginally more organised month! 

A month that hopefully includes me finally getting around to getting my camera lens fixed. Instagramed iPhone photos are a god-send but on cloudy days like this one you need something with a little more omph, don't you?
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party plans for Edie - part 1

Our new little one is due April 9 and not long afterwards (maybe just hours depending on how long overdue I go) is our big girl's 4th birthday.

So I've decided to get a head start on organising her big day, especially because I want her, as well as our new little fella, to be fussed over a little that month. 

And there's always the chance I won't be up to doing much at all for a long time post birth (like last time I'm afraid). So a plan is needed.

Breaking a project down into manageable pieces is vital for me. Otherwise I just have these vague ideas that stay just that, vague, and never take the shape I want them to.

Blogging about these things is a excellent way to set things in motion. You have to think them through, you have to break things down. So here goes! 

Edie's Birthday, 2013

First things first...

I started by jotting down the elements I need to consider for her little tea party. I came up with-

Now, this just going to be a tiny tea party, nothing extravagant, with probably just family attending and all within a minuscule budget. But no less special for a 4 year old girl after all.

Next I hit Pinterest, putting together a board made especially for the event. I'm going to have another pinning session tomorrow to add to this. It's fun! Makes me want to throw parties more often.

click to be taken to my Pinterest!

After loading up on lots of inspiration from Pinterest and considering priorities I decided that first I'm going to focus on DECORATION. 

I thought about themes, about the colours and elements I'd like to include (like a photo back drop? I've seen lots on other blogs but never tried one myself, looks like it could be a great way to get some lovely shots) and came to the conclusion that I'd like bright, spring time colours, bold and pretty shapes, nothing too girlie, just fun and celebratory. 

But ask Edie what her favourite colour is at 2 o'clock and the answer will be different from at 1 o'clock, so I've decided to make the decision on this one. And I'm going for...

...turquoise, yellow and pink.

I plan to make some large tissue paper pom poms in turquoise and pink to hang from the ceiling. 

I've just ordered tissue paper in turquoise and pink and so I feel like I've already set the ball rolling.

And although I've made these before I found this tutorial on Pinterest to share with you.

Source: blog.exclusivelyweddings.com via Anna on Pinterest

They're easy to make and look gorgeous hanging together or scattered across your ceiling. 

It feels good to have started on a plan and to have plenty of time to achieve it. Totally out of character for me! In fact it's probably the pregnancy hormones but hell, I'm rolling with it.
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a cloud for a baby boy's bedroom wall

I've been playing around with this cloud image for a while now. It's a simple shape and concept but it's been tough getting it 'right'. 

I think I'm being influenced by our anticipated arrival as these colours are the ones I've been thinking about for a baby boy's room make over. White with splashes of black, grey and bright yellow. Maybe a little turquiose here and there too. 

I think this print must be destined for his bedroom wall. Looks like it's finally sinking in that I'm going to have an actual real life BABY here with me soon... Eeeeee!
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clean sheets

I'm so tired this afternoon, that kind of tired when it's all you can do to keep your eyes open. Bed is calling me but I'm going to a friend's house for dinner so I need to perk myself up pretty quickly or I'll be a pretty poor dinner companion. 

But bed, I will be home asap and leaping into your clean sheets very happily. 

Clean bed sheets are a glorious thing aren't they? Nothing beats that feeling you get when you slip in-between some cold, clean sweet smelling bed linen in order to get some shut eye. 

And that's my one make your weekend lovelier aim. To change the bed before I go out and to make sure the bedroom is tidy and warm and comfortable for me to dive straight in when I get home. 

Cotton sheets, feather pillows, maybe a good book (tho doubt I'll manage that tonight- yawn) and some good old fashioned deep sleep. 

Oh my gosh, that sounds so bloody gorgeous. 

Hope you get some sweet sleep and clean sheets this weekend too. X

making a start

I have a little space that's a place to write, to draw, to make and create. 

Lucky me.

But this space has been in a bit of a sorry state since we moved into this house, with family space always taking precedence. We worked hard on the spaces we use to socialise, to eat, to play and to sleep and although these spaces aren't 'finished' they are moving towards out vision of what we want our home to be. But now, maybe because we have a new baby coming, a new baby who will push our creative space even more to the sidelines, I've decided to focus on this room we're so lucky to have and bring it up to scratch. 

And as I'm a bit of a messy, disorganised cow I figure I need a simple, functional space (which still looks the biz) in order to keep my work in check. So today I started sorting things out.

It's a work in progress, that's for sure, as the other side of the room is heaped with boxes, files and plastic bags full of, um, stuff,

But it feels good to be taking steps towards creating an area to work in that makes us happy. 

More work space posts to follow soon, hopefully!

for us

For a baby boy

For a big girl

For him

For me

(click on the pics for details X)

seven weeks

Time has the habit of tricking you into thinking you have lots of it when in fact it's speeding by at a rate of knots. I've just seven weeks left until my due date. To me, the eternal dawdler, that still seems like ages, but there's a little voice in my head telling me that that seven weeks will fly by, which of course it will. 

Seven weeks of no baby to nurse.

Seven weeks of no nappies to change.

Seven weeks of relative peace at night.

Seven weeks of being able to take the escalator in department stores.

Seven weeks of having time alone.

Seven weeks of having space to think.

Seven weeks of no tiny toes and fingers.

Seven weeks until the most miraculous thing happens and another human being joins us here on this planet to enjoy this life with us. 

Seven weeks until I fall in love again. 

Seven short weeks. 

That's all.

a photo an hour

Another Sunday's photo an hour. Just a selection of my favorites this time. And this Sunday was a beautifully sunny day which made the photos really enjoyable to take. What a difference the sun can make.

   

A Sunday spent dressing up with Edie, meeting a friend in a local pub, dinner at my Mum's and then a film with David. 

A good Sunday. 

Sunday - a photo an hour

On Sunday I took and Instagrammed a photo-an-hour. It was raining, dark, we all had colds and we stayed indoors. Not the most exciting day to document but this little practice does make you stop and look around yourself to notice the loveliness in the mundane. 

And today it's still raining and we've still got colds and so yet another day spent indoors. But that's not so bad when we've got pens and paper and glue, and DVDs to watch, and, of course, it's Pancake Day! 

Pancakes always make the world a better place. 

feeling grey

I'm not a big hater of winter. In fact there are lots of things I love about it, and reminding myself of those things goes a long way to making me appreciate these shorter, often greyer days. But this last week I've really felt the grey dragging me down. I'm 31 weeks pregnant, anemic, full of coughs and sneezes and my husband has working every god-given hour for weeks, leaving me with a 3 year old to entertain on these cold and rainy dark days.

Sunday David had a few hours off and we went to one of our favourite cafes for lunch. It was dark and gloomy outside, in fact it was dark and gloomy inside too, and even being there, cosy and warm with a pot of tea and a gorgeous plate of good food at a place that always makes me happy, felt flat and lacking in spirit. I looked out of the window and everyone who passed looked so gloomy, heads down, faces pinched against the cold damp air.

So I've been thinking that maybe I need an injection of spring, of light, of colour, of life and new beginnings to rocket me out of this winter slump.

So this evening I've been pinning away at an inspiration board for a new outlook. And it's beautiful. Take a look if you need a little sunshine and colour. 

Hooray for spring! It's just around the corner. 

goals for February

It's that time of the month when I like to set a few little (and very achievable) goals 

•treat myself every week

I need this one badly! I'm in a bit of an anemic-31-weeks-pregnant slump and need a pick me up to make things a little sparklier. I have a voucher for a chiropodist (glamourous I know) that I intend to use asap. I may go to cinema ON MY OWN one day (why I see this as a treat I'm not sure, but right now I do and so I will!) and I'd like to go swimming. 

•get outdoors whenever I get the chance

The snow, the rain, my growing bump, my back pain, my general lack of energy and many coughs and sneezes have conspired to keep me indoors for the vast majority of the last few weeks. I need to blow the cobwebs away, to walk and look up at the sky, to stand by the sea and shiver, to look hopefully for the first signs of spring that must be due pretty soon, right?

•begin to organise things for baby number two

Yeah, I need to focus my mind on the fact that I will have a new born in around 9 weeks time. This month it's time to dust off the pram, the moses basket, the car seat and all the other baby bits which have been in the attic for the last couple of years. I need to make a little space in our lives and our home for the little fella who's going to be joining us sooner than I sometimes let myself admit. Getting things sorted will help me prepare for the rollercoaster ride that is to come and will no doubt go a long way in avoiding the last minute panics that could be on the horizon...