She is here...

...and she is perfect.

When I'm not baking cupcakes

...I get all butch with sanding paper and paintbrushes to renovate furniture.

My nesting has gone up a notch.  Our forth-coming number 3 baby needs somewhere to store their clothes and I've always had an urge to renovate furniture and this was a perfect excuse.  I'm not going to use the word 'up cycle' as it is too gruesome. but I believe this lovely chest of drawers would easily fall into this category.

I bought the drawers on Ebay (this in itself was a new and nail biting experience) and I picked it up from a nearby seaside town a few weeks back.

I followed advice from my various stacks of interior magazines, youtube and my good old Dad, who always knows everything when it comes to practical skills and DIY.

After a vigorous sanding, and many coats of undercoat and topcoat, and the fixing of new knobs (also an Ebay bargain)  I have managed to step back and admire my new beauty.

The waiting game.

So, we are still waiting for our barn conversion.  Apparently we are close to starting building, but I have heard that many times before- and we are currently looking at saying 'in by christmas', but for the 3rd christmas so I'm not so convinced.  Hopeful, but not convinced.

Baby three is due in August and kicking like a bucking bronco.  The bump is definitely growing and I have already had several total strangers call to me across car-parks, and at checkout queues, etc amusing things like 'look at your bump, its massive!' 'are you having the baby today?  'are you sure its not twins'... Naturally I find this both flattering and hilarious.

As the barn was taking so long, we decided to move to somewhere a bit bigger.  Living in the cottage next door to our homing heroes was fabulous, but with number 3 on the way, we just needed
                                             m     o      r      e               s    p    a    c    e .
We have been in our new place now for nearly 3 months and it's great.  Having a playroom and a grownup sitting room is the most luxurious thing I can think of.  Well, one of them.

So, we wait on.  Is patience a virtue? or is life what happens to you when you are making other plans (as a very wise man once said)

Waiting for our baby, waiting for Handsome husband to finish his course, waiting for Downton Abbey series 3 (exciting people, very exciting) and for the new John Lewis in Exeter to open in December.  We might even be in the new barn by christmas?

There is so much in the pipeline, we just need to remember to enjoy the waiting game.

Exciting news about a new arrival

Well, I haven't been posting much since christmas not because I haven't had anything to say, but because what I have had to say is so exciting, but has also been top secret until recently... It's been hard to think about much else really.

Close friends had guessed it and family are delighted.  Can you guess what it is?

Baby number 3 is on the way!  All things being well our third baby will be due in early August.  Little brother is very excited and is quite keen on having a sister.  Little brother I think vaguely gets it- though he saw the scan and said 'doggie' so perhaps not.

We aren't any closer to the barn conversion being completed, or even started and although we were planning to wait on being in the barn before trying for a third baby, quite frankly we got bored of waiting.    We needed to get on with our lives, and what better way to get on with you life, than creating a new one!



nb, the photo is obviously not baby number 3's fingers, but little brothers- though you get the idea.

Getting crafty

Bump is due in 16 days now (and counting) and, as part of the nesting instinct which is kicking in, I have made this patchwork blanket for the baby to lounge about on.  It was going to have some cute prints of animals on it, but I figured once the baby is all grown up, it could always graduate to a throw for a grown-up bedroom.  I have gone for a mix of blues and greens in different prints, with some blocks of cream too.  The fabrics have yummy textures too for junior to cozy up to.

I'm sure Darling boys reaction will be to play 'falling over' on it as soon as he sees the blanket. This is his brand new hilarious game, which involves throwing yourself on the ground, and saying...'fallen over!'  Everyone nearby has to join it- its pretty infectious and totally fun.  

I am totally amazed that I have actually finished a craft project...

I am bump

I think this bump is starting to catch up on me! Baby is really active and kicking even more than Darling boy did. I’m starting to feel my size (and as I’m only a little person, the bump is all out front, and I mean ALL OUT FRONT)

People are asking me if it’s a Christmas baby, hahaha, I’ve got another three months to go. I can’t really reach my feet anymore and have to sit down to put my socks and shoes on. Doing all the baking and icing for the market is still fun, but I sure am glad I’m finishing my office job next week. I remember with Darling boy it felt like towards the end, my bump would enter a room a good 5 minutes before I would get there. I think I might be at this stage now. Eek!

The third market

Preparations for my third market had gone well and, despite getting up a bit late-oops- I managed to set up the stall in record time, even doing it by myself.

The day went well.  This week I had new decorations, of dolly mixtures and tiny pink icing flowers- which all seemed popular.  The triple chocolate cookies and the spiced honey snaps all sold out, which I was really pleased about.  They looked very tempting wrapped in their purple ribbon I must say, and I was pleased with the reaction they got.

Some lovely Devon friends came down to cheer me on my way and to buy a few cupcakes for their afternoon tea.  It was lovely to see them.

I've only been doing the stall for 3 weeks now, and I have already got a birthday and a christening booked in- so exciting.  The birthday is next weekend- and its Handsome husbands own birthday- the big 30- in between here and then.  I'm busy planning his cake too.  He is a plain sponge fan, but I'm sure I might be able to jazz it up a bit, perhaps along a marzipan cow theme???

The other exciting thing about the market is that I felt the baby kicking me for the first time, for definite. It's such a magical feeling, though not entirely comfy.  I think baby must have been doing some yoga or something?

Anyway- all in all, it was a good day, cupcakes sold very well, the new biscuits sold out and the baby gave me a good boot too.

A new arrival expected in the spring

I have exciting news...we are expecting a baby! Bump is due in mid March and we are really excited.  I'm getting bigger each day and we have had our 12 week scan and seen our little baby wiggling around on the screen, dancing about and waving.  Our next scan is in 3 weeks and Darling boy has been patting my tummy, saying 'baby', ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Check out the stripes in the photo- that ain't no cake!