crochet + cupcakes

moving on from yesterday's dramas......I decided to pull out the crochet last night and de-stress. And nothing says I'm de-stressing like sitting in your peter alexander pj's with a spot of crochet, a peppermint tea and chocolate wheatens. I'm on the biscuit diet at the moment, if anyone asks. 

But back to the crochet, I'm making a quick pram blanket for miss elodie. Her snazzy pram basinette comes with a cover but it's a bit too warm for her and also a bit too black for such a pretty little girl. So I'm using my pattern here (gotta love the no sewing together of squares) and bendigo cotton which is currently on sale. I am just in love with one of their latest colours blush....so in love I went back to order another 4 balls just because. But with 3 girls I know it will be used...........eventually.

And it's halloween tonight and this year I'm taking a break from handing the lollies out. And considering the lolly aisle was almost empty at my local supermarket, I think there will be plenty of neighbours with sweets for halloweeners. But to keep Keira happy I baked some cupcakes (before you call me super mum I used a packet mix, people!) and let her ice and decorate them. It was all that was needed to distract her from the fact that I wasn't doing halloween.

I made one and she did a great job decorating these babies and I love how she did the cross eyebrows! Clever girl. Definitely a great activity for sunday afternoons.

another great mathilda's

Last night at about 10pm I was having doubts over whether I'd made a mistake committing to a market with a new bub. I hadn't finished packing and knew I'd be up all night feeding little miss. But somehow I was up bright and early at 5.30am and it was go go go from then until the market started and there was no time for last minute doubts. I had prepacked all my baskets which made for a quick and easy set up and having Liss (Frills in the Hills) and retro daddy (he doesn't have a blog!) meant we were set up in no time. I just love to meet customers and blog readers so much (read: talk a lot to them) and it was fun to be showing elodie off to everyone, oh yes and all of the new fabrics of course. Musn't forget the fabrics.

we took little miss for a walk and late breakfast and were saying how lovely it was to just have 1 little person with us. So relaxing and we actually had a..............conversation! I went back to the market for the last hour which was fun as I love to chat to everyone and there is always a familiar face at mathilda's to chat too.  So all in all we had a very successful market day and I couldn't have done it without Liss or retro daddy, such good helpers that I'll be retaining their services next time!

matching hairstyles!

So we came home feeling happy and it was lovely to see our other 'babies'. And then Keira started telling us how cool it was to travel in the babysitter's car to the ocean. I'm starting to panic and trying not to freak out so I can get the whole story but am doing a bad job.......a really bad job as keira starts crying and thinks she has made a mistake. Cut a long story short and my precious babies were taken out by a p plater without my permission for a little drive for an errand and left in the car. Oh my...........what can you say. If I think about what could have gone wrong I want to throw up and then cry. It was wrong on so many levels and a huge breach of trust and she's an experienced nanny too. It has only been a few months that I've had the confidence to leave my little ones with someone who isn't family.....so back to the drawing board on who minds my little ones. The most important people in my world. And so I've let her go and am so glad Keira tells her mummy everything.

win a $100 westfield gift voucher

Sponsored by Nuffnang.

Well I'm one of those crazy people who just love Christmas! L-O-V-E! I love buying the presents, the baking, the crafting, the meal planning, the get togethers, the nativity play at church every Christmas Eve, the family and seeing my little ones faces as they open their presents on Christmas day. I also love hosting Christmas lunch at our house and this year is no exception. I always try to have the best Christmas ever and here are my top tips:

- plan and buy ahead! You'll beat the crowds, reduce the hit on your finances (well I get a warning from retro daddy every year not to go overboard) and feel oh so organised.

- buy your favourite magazines for food and gift ideas and save them for future years. I have a nice stash that I pull out each year.

- bake, make and buy small gifts and stash them away for last minute gifts. I always make a mountain of rum balls, mini fruit cakes and when someone drops over with an unexpected gift or you need to fill out a present you are sorted. Keeps retro daddy happy too as he has some little snackies at home!

- teenagers and those hard to buy for are the perfect candidate for gift vouchers and movie vouchers!!

And I love one of the tips from one of Westfields style experts, Trish Murray, for a perfect Christmas. A nice way of saying leave those $2 earrings at home, people!

Subdued elegance is best for Christmas worship: your choice of outfit will be more suitable if you throw on a light weight jacket to cover your shoulders and upper arms. Probably best to leave those flashing Christmas badges and earrings at home - they'll be wonderful to wear for the children when you are all at home together.

And now Westfield have just launched a really cool new online gift finder, just at the right time of year too! You put in your search criteria (gender, age, budget) and it generates a selection of gift suggestions for you. Too easy! Talk about saving time and energy walking around the shops searching - especially if you have 4 little people in tow! I'll be using this for my mum and sister who have everything, mind you I've just heard that you can buy personlised style sessions at Westfield and I think that would be popular too! And if that still doesn't work a trip to Westfield will sort it out with so many stores to choose from. I love WBJ best of all but am pretty excited now that the new Sydney city centre is open! I've been today and can tell you its huuuuuuge!

So tell me the best (or worst) Christmas present you've ever received and you could win a $100 Westfield voucher for yourself! Open to all Australian residents and the most creative answer wins. Don't forget to include your email adress in your answer so Nuffnang can contact the winner. Full terms and conditions here.

Mathilda's this Saturday

Well I'm not making any progress on packing for Mathilda's this Saturday. I do promise that you'll find the retro mummy stall there at Paddington Town Hall from 9-1pm. I have the gorgeous Liss from Frills in the Hills running my stall. I'll be there from 9 for a bit and back after 12 but decided Elodie was a bit too small for her first market! And that Liss is quite the saleswoman so I  know I'm leaving it in capable hands!

I've got the biggest range of fabrics I've ever taken to market as well as some huge sale baskets clearing out everything from earlier in the year, plus a basket devoted to Christmas fabrics so you can be the first to get these lovely fabrics before they hit the store next week. And of course my dresses, 40 in all ranging from 0 to 6 just in time for the warmer weather!

And I'm turning this gorgeous retro christmas fabric into an apron for myself this Christmas. It will scream hostess with the mostest!  So I hope to see you there at Mathilda's this Saturday....................
 

two weeks

time flies when..............you aren't getting any sleep! Well I do get a bit, little miss gives me 2 hours before midnight and an hour or two after 4am when she snuggles next to me, so I can't complain too much. Especially as I'm getting more sleep compared to when the twins came home..... any sleep is better than night time with newborn twins! 

But I'm still not really living in the real world as retro daddy is home this week but next week it's official....I'll be flying solo. He's off interstate in his first week of work and I need to get used to it as he'll be away each week. I hope the twinnies learn to sleep through the night everynight and everyone behaves themselves! Oh behaviour.....it's all gone downhill since little miss elodie came home. But look at this photo....butter wouldn't melt............WRONG!!!!!!

My biggest fears are leaving the house with all 4 and dinner/bath/bed time. So being the planner that I am, I have another nanny coming in midweek so I don't have to take everyone to ballet and I'm getting my dinners delivered so I have a nice dinner to look forward to at the end of the day and the kids can have their favourites (pasta, pasta and more pasta at the moment!).

thank you Aunty Debbie for this gorgeous knitted outfit!

But somehow in this busy week I found the time on sunday to make a cheesecake from last month's Super Food Ideas .... it was delicious and proved a great snack. Tell me it's low fat and I eat twice as much!!! Tell me I'm not the only one.

And somehow this week I need to find some time for market preparations and packing for Mathilda's this Saturday.....don't ask me how but I'll get there! I have another 10 bolts of fabric arriving today so at least I don't have a problem with stock levels!

Desperate Housewives DVD Giveaway

Sponsored by Nuffnang

So tell me I'm not the only Desperate Housewives fan here. I've been watching the show since it started and instantly fell in love with the characters. There is always some drama going on amongst the ordinary day to day routines of these extraordinary characters. You can always find a situation to relate to - the gossip, the competitive mothers, the parenting, relationships and you will always have a good laugh. Even retro daddy will admit he's chuckled along to it on tv! And now you can re-live every juicy moment of Desperate Housewives on DVD with the release of Series 6 on DVD from October 20 at all good DVD retailers.

I must admit things are pretty quiet in my own neighbourhood but when we bought our first house there was this one house in the street where the tenants were a bit, um, dodgy. One night there was a huge domestic between the Dad and teenage daughter and the police were called after much screaming and carrying on  in the street. Of course I was at the bedroom window peeking between the venetian blinds relaying everything to retro daddy, ohhh there's a paddy wagon coming, oh now here is another police car too.....

When things get rough on Wisteria Lane, the Housewives band together like never before. Relive the passion, the laughter and the mystery of television’s celebrated dramatic comedy with The Complete Sixth Season of Desperate Housewives. The neighbourhood is jolted with the arrival of Angie Bolen (Drea de Matteo) and her family, and it soon becomes clear that they are hiding something. But what is their secret, and what are their true intentions? Meanwhile, a plane crash on Wisteria Lane causes everyone to reflect on their lives and the choices that have made them who they are.

Experience every juicy episode, and get inside access to your favourite show with never-before-seen special features. Find out more on DVD with this spectacular 6-disc set. It’s the perfect addition to your Desperate Housewives collection!

So to win the latest Series 6 DVD of Desperate Housewives you just need to tell me “What have  been some community dramas in your neighbourhood?” Competition is open to Australian residents only and please leave your email address with your answer so that Nuffnang can contact the winner. More info on the DVD and other titles can be found here.

quick cushions

I dusted the cobwebs off the machine (ok, well there weren't really any cobwebs but it's been a long time between sewing projects) and whipped up 4 cushions today. This is one of the reasons I love sewing! Take 2 metres of fabric from my store, 4 x $3.99 cushion inserts from Spotlight and in under an hour I had 4 cushions to freshen up the lounge room.

nothing fancy for the back just to keep them simple

and what an improvement.

I feel another 4 cushion inserts will be coming home tomorrow with me to fill out the rest of the couch! I should also tell you that we had a huge tidy up today as I was asked to send in some photos of my house. This is not how it normally looks on a sunday morning, trust me!

six years

Six years of marriage and four children later and yep we're still in love. We're on the same page about most things and married life is pretty easy at the moment. I must admit that yesterday's anniversary could have easily slipped by as we're in baby land.

I entered marriage hoping for lots of babies and suburban bliss and I'd say we're doing pretty well. I love being able to stay home and raise our family. We started out as a married couple in our little flat by the beach and now are in our big family house that will one day be perfectly renovated. We have lots of dreams and aspirations for our family and I can't imagine going through life with anyone else.

I love my new braun!

So the night I went into labour I was madly making hamburgers and testing out my latest kichen gadget. Oh how I do love a good kitchen gadget and the very kind people at Braun sent me their latest hand blender, The Multiquick 7, to have a play with. How lucky am I?

This a cordless blender which comes with it's own little chopper bowl (you can see it in action here). This baby blends, purees, chops and dices and being cordless it's great to use in the kitchen as it's safe. Nothing worse than trying to blend hot soup in a saucepan with the cord trying to get in the way - I usually have to wrap my cord around something to keep it out of the way. Not anymore! It comes with it's own stand and unlike my current blender which is hiding in the back of the cupboard with the cord wrapped around it, this one can take pride of place on your kitchen counter because it looks so smart.

There were a couple of recipes to try out and a delicious big hamper delivered with my new Multiquick 7, so here is one we made (before I went into labour) and enjoyed............

Grilled Beef Burgers with Tomato Salsa
I love the vegies snuck into these burgers and the kids ate them all up as did the big kids of the house! You could substitute chicken or turkey mince and they'd be delicious too.

750g minced beef steak
1Tbsp each of rosemary, thyme, dijon mustard, tomato paste
2Tbsp grated parmesan
10g chopped parsley
30g fresh breadcrumbs
1 carrot chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery, chopped

Chop all of the vegies, onions, garlic, herbs, parmesan and bread using the Braun Multiquick Cordless chopper.

Combine all ingredients for the burger together and form into mixture, Shape into discs and chill for about 30 minutes till firm. Preheat a heavy pan or BBQ and lightly oil the surface. cook for about 10 minutes turning twice and allow to rest for 3 minutes before serving.

Tomato Salsa
750g fresh tomatoes, blanched and peeled
1 spring fresh thyme leaves
1 clove garlic
2Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

my low carb version!

Chop the tomatoes using the Braun Multiquick Cordless chopper. Warm olive oil in a frypan and add the garlic and thyme. Add the tomatoes and cook gently until they have broken down and the excess water has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and add a little sugar to taste. Blend to a smooth consistency with the Braun Multiquick Cordless hand attachment.

You'll see me using this baby on my blog a bit more as I'm having so much fun with it and it's available in stores now with a retail price of $249.95. Definitely one to add to the Christmas list!

friendship + fabric

Sometimes I tell retro daddy I am so blessed to have such lovely friends around me. Whether they're from church playgroup, old friends, new friends, ballet mum friends, blogging friends, crafty friends - I've been truly blessed with some wonderful people in my life........and some of you I've never met but consider you my friends. Yesterday, one of my sweetest friends, Francine, came over to cut fabric...........for 3 hours!

Francine was my old neighbour and we're kindred spirits. We love to bake, sew, cook and be mummies. The day we moved out of our old house she came over with hot soup she'd made and buttered toast all wrapped up. She's just that kind of person. We go to each others parties and have shared the ups and downs of having our babies.

So yesterday she came over and cut and folded and cut and folded some more and filled a box with fat quarters for Mathilda's. What a lovely thing that was to do for me! I paid her in fabric and everyone was happy.

When you're not done!

So I was waiting for this revelation, this moment after Elodie was born when I'd know that I was done having babies. At the start of the pregnancy I knew this wouldn't be my last pregnancy, that I wasn't ready to call it a day. Then in those last few weeks of the pregnancy as I was getting bigger, more tired and the little people were starting to drive me a little crazy I was thinking ok this is it.

keira

But then I had Elodie, and cuddled her and realised I didn't want her to be my last bub. And we used to joke, retro daddy and I about how we could go for number 5 but now he's not joking. It's official. He's done................no more............but I'm not!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the twins

Four babies in four and half years has really taken it's toll on him! He misses his long runs, overseas holidays, dinners out, a nice car and has seen enough nappies to last him a lifetime. Me, well I don't mind the nappies or lack of holidays. I just love my family so much.............

elodie

so that's where we're at. I'm going to make the most of every baby day I have with miss elodie and just see what happens.

one week

Well it's lovely to be home but I'm struggling to find the time to do anything! Thankfully, I came home on the day we have our helper here so the kids had a wonderful day playing outside, my laundry was all put away and retro daddy did the groceries and cooked dinner for me! He does get a bit stressed out at times when everyone wants him to do something and I'm tied up feeding but he now has a totally new appreciation of everything I've done so far and throughout the pregnancy. Amen to that!

At times I feel like a nervous first time mother like coming home from the hospital, bathing or just leaving the house as she just is so tiny and precious.  Or like when it took us 1/2 hour to work out how the new pram went down again! I am a non stop feeding and cuddling machine and the only sleep I get is when I fall asleep feeding or cuddling but thank goodness I sneak a cup of coffee or two in each day. Heaven when you combine it with a chocolate biscuit or two (or four!) even if it doesn't help the 8 kilos that my scales are telling  me to lose.  I'll worry about that later!

But Elodie is just a little doll and doesn't cry too often which is either because I quickly pick her up or maybe it's just that compared to having twins it's a dream to have one baby. Someone always seemed to be crying in those early weeks with the twins and it wasn't always the babies!

So please bear with me as I find my feet at home and adjust.....but somehow I have managed to add a few new products to the store. Just go here.

what we've been up to

Well tomorrow we leave the hospital and I'm definitely looking forward to being home and getting on with  life as a bigger family. Retro daddy has done an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G job keeping things running at home and bringing everyone in to see us each day. We've been enjoying warm baths and opening our eyes.......

and being idolised by big sister Keira who is totally smitten and has wanted to spend every night in the hospital with us

and of course we're feeding.....oh boy the feeding. I forgot how much time you spend parked on your behind feeding! But I'm so happy miss elodie is so good at it. Even if I only get one hours sleep because all she wants to do is feed and cuddle.....it sure beats feeding two babies at once who don't want to feed.

And I just love staring..........getting to know all of her little features like the way her little bottom lip curls in and looks oh so adorable. And so tomorrow real life starts..............and we can get out of the hospital gown and into some cute clothes.

the birth

Oh thank you for all of your sweet words and messages, I'll be sure to let retro daddy read them all. You're all too sweet. It's total baby love here. I did think I'd be telling you a pretty stock standard version of how Elodie arrived being my 3rd c/section and all but it turned out Elodie had other ideas.

We'd had a busy day running around doing last minute things and by 8.30pm or so I'd lost my mucous plug (retro daddy told me it was TMI and was a bit grossed out) but I thought it was funny because I lost mine with keira just before her c/section too. By 10pm or so I was cutting fabric and making up orders and having what I thought were contractions but I kept working through. By midnight they were getting stronger and I was timing them but then they died down so I set my alarm for 4.30am and popped into bed.

 2am and I'm wide awake in agony. Oh my these are defnitely contractions and they are coming every 4 minutes and I'm hurting. Retro daddy jumps out of bed (a rare sight let me tell you), grabs a pen and starts timing. I ring the delivery suite to get THE most annoying midwife who tells me to take a bath and 2 panadol and call her back in an hour if they're still regular. I run a big bath cursing the midwife repeatedly that a bath is not going to solve this pain. Poor retro daddy has to watch me, like the biggest white whale in sydney in the bath in pure agony.

 45 minutes of that and retro daddy rings up and says this is getting worse so they tell us to come in straight away. My sister pops over at about 3.30am and tells me she's glad I get to experience labour (why thank you, not my feelings but we have a good laugh about it) and I get in the car. No petrol. All that running around during the day and we didn't notice so quick pit stop, thank goodness it's early and no one is there to watch me have contractions in the car. They are coming every 3 minutes now and really hurting.

We drive to the hospital, retro daddy slowed down at an amber light and I told him he had my permission to go through any lights to just get me there. I try to have contractions quietly and not make the huge noises I was at home (where do those noises come from?  I swear I've never moaned or heard myself like that!). In the delivery suite they checked the contractions, called my OB then it was time to be quickly prepped, down to surgery and on with an emergency c/s. We were in the delivery suite for less than an hour but oh my it felt like hours. And so I entered the operating theatre just a few hours before the planned c/section.

 My OB checked me out and told me I was all of 1cm dilated! Oh boy, all that pain for 1 lousy cm! I couldn't believe it! But it was on with the show and what I was used to.....the way the delivery was supposed to go. Before long Elodie was shown to us but had a low erratic heart rate so I got a quick pat and family photo and then they had to whisk her away upstairs. I spent the next hour terrified something was wrong with her but it turned out she was fine, probably just a result of me being sick last week and she was perfect in every way. 

 So we've decided that Elodie didn't get the memo that she didn't need to do anything for a c/section. But I can now say I know labour feels like, it really hurts, it's the worst pain I've ever been through and there is nothing like when that epidural takes effect and the pain is gone. I now have total admiration for anyone who goes through labour - no matter how long it lasts or how baby comes out it is painful! More photos to come this weekend when we have a few extra hands in the hospital........

elodie elizabeth

Here she is, Elodie Elizabeth born this morning at 5.59am, weighing  3.77kgs (8pds 5oz), with a 37cm head and she's 55cm  long. We are so in love. And what a birth story to tell you all since I went into labour (oh the pain!) and ended up needing an emergency c/section just a few hours before my booked in c/section.

more photos tomorrow..........

tomorrow........

well there are no cobwebs and there's certainly no sorrow but before the sun comes out I'll be heading off to the hospital and I just can't help but sing this little song today........tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow, you're only a day away........................And Keira made me laugh by saying, ever so seriously 'girls don't have hair like that, she doesn't look like a girl, mummy!'.

Thank you for all the sweet wishes you've been sending me and I look forward to sharing some baby photos with you then..............

and the fabric keeps coming....

Today as we were picking up fabric from the warehouse (so I could get my hot little hands on it before little one arrives), retro daddy said 'so is that it for the year?'.....I lied and said 'oh yes I think so'. It's not really, I know I have still have a few more designs coming and then there is Rosalie Quinlan's range still to arrive............

Please bear with me as I have a backlog of orders from Thursday to get out in the post (anyone waiting for an order will get a little something extra in their order). Edited to add the fabrics are now up in the store here and here. All orders received before midday tomorrow will be posted out in the afternoon otherwise I'll still take orders which will be shipped the week commencing 18th October!

this mummy went to hospital

but not to have my baby! Unfortunately, the pity party continues here at retro mummy as my OB put me into hospital on Friday. I've spent the last 2 days hooked up to a drip to rehydrate this poor little sick body of mine. I had to listen to the little newborn cries of other babies and a little part of me was aching to have my own baby but thankfully the sensible part of me said get better first and enjoy the birth of your baby next week. But oh those little newborn cries! I had my own lovely room, the best midwives, almost 8 litres of fluid pumped into me and lots of rest.

And as a result I now have colour in my face, a smile, some energy and am starting to feel my normal self. Today, you'll find me at home in my pj's, eating jelly and directing the family from the couch. My to-do list is a mile long as we only have 3 full days (yes, really) till baby arrives and so many things still to do but thankfully retro daddy is on the case. I had great plans that this weekend I'd be cooking up loads of healthy meals for the family to eat while I'm in hospital but am now planning super easy meals that retro daddy can manage to make and the kids will eat. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure dinner would be sponsored by Domino's every night!

life on the couch

Oh my goodness, are you sick of hearing about my bug. I just don't get sick, I really don't! But last night my body decided it had to get worse before it got better and I spent most of the night in the bathroom. Thankfully, I feel better today and am just focused on fluids, fluids and more fluids under the dr's instructions. The twins read my mind and are having a nap which means I think it's time for a movie and cuddles with keira.....................

And in good news, the Cottee's cordial giveaway has just gone live again so just go here to enter and win $1,000. Oh boy what I would do with the cash........

new fabrics

Thank you for your kind words yesterday. It's another home day here as I'm still munching away on hydralyte ice blocks and not straying too far from the bathroom, but so grateful all the little people are better. And just when I thought I couldn't possibly fit more fabrics in this house.........another box arrived jam packed full of 10 bolts of fabric. I have a few favourites. This is cinderella...............it reminds me of the fairy tale fabrics when I first started my store

then there are the large russian dolls which make the best appliques ever!

or maybe alice in wonderland - the colours are so modern and gorgeous

 

 these and more are all up in the store here..........

the bug

Remember when it was just you? Ok, you might have to really go back now. And remember when you got sick? You'd take a day or two off work, catch up on some oprah on the couch and take it easy. All you had to do was worry about yourself and getting better. Fast forward to running a family and when someone gets sick.......well in our experience everyone gets sick and mummy works overtime keeping up with caring for everyone.

Keira picked up a tummy bug on thursday and it kept me busy for a few days...the dr said it would pass in 48 hours but it didn't. By Sunday retro daddy was down and yesterday all 5 of us were down and eating hydralite icey poles (best invention eveeeeer!) and lying on the couch. We took it in turns to change nappies on the twins but really we could have permanently manned a nappy change station.........it was non stop nappy action. There wasn't much chance to sleep last night and retro daddy and I had a 'buddy' each and took it in turns to grab more towels, change pj's, change nappies until about 5am......yawn.

So today you can't enter my laundry on account of the piles of laundry which I'm madly washing and drying, mummy and daddy are exhausted while the kids are back to their normal rowdy selves. On the plus side we did all cosy up on the couch yesterday afternoon to watch Home Alone 3 and other kids movies, I read over 40 pages of Eat Pray Love and cast on a new baby kina (photos of a finished kina coming tomorrow).....so not all bad.