20 Kilos!

8 months preggers!

During both my pregnancies I managed to put on 20 kilos, the only difference being that at 25 years old it's much easier to get those 20 kilos off again than it is at 35!

As a person who never eats much (I take after my dad for my lack of appetite), I turn in to an eating machine when I get pregnant. I didn't get a craving for a single food item...FOOD was my craving!! But I figured that having an appetite for once is a good thing so I just when with the flow (although the matron wasn't as enthralled with my eat everything diet!).

 

 

Mmmmm food!

8 months after giving birth I'm still trying to get back in to my pre-pregnancy jeans (I can still only just get them up over my knees...no further!) and, although I've never had a flat Victoria's Secret model style stomach, the jelly wobble belly I have at the moment is not helping my self esteem much!

 

 

Now, I am not a woman who agrees with all these celebrity mums who diet throughout their pregnancy, come out of the hospital looking like they've just come out of a spa and starve themselves to get rid of the half kilo that they put on...and then pose in a bikini a week after the baby's birth to show all us "normal" mums what great shape they're in and to tell us that "No, I never had a tummy tuck, I'm just lucky that my body is the way it is". I do think that there comes a time when as woman, who's not only a mum, a partner or a wife, needs to start looking after herself again. And for me that time is now!!!!!

 

 

I've been putting it off and putting it off until I realised that I, as usual, was procrastinating...one of my major personality faults and one that I am trying to address! And I seriously thought of delving in to my savings to pay for a tummy tuck, but I decided against it when I realised that the procedure costs more than our car did!

 

 

I had to face the fact that I'm going to have to shift my butt and belly with some good old fashioned hard slog....Diet and exercise! So two/three weeks ago I started jogging. Not a sport that I've ever really enjoyed before...in fact I am one of the most unsporty people you'll ever meet...but this time around I seem to be getting a kick out of it! Maybe it's because I've stopped smoking, or maybe it's the only 30 minutes that I actually get to myself, I don't know, but it definitely doesn't feel like a chore this time, I actually look forward to it. I suppose it's not just the need to do exercise, but also your state of mind.

The diet is a different matter! As I said before, I'm not a big eater, but you only need to tell yourself that you're on a diet to make you want to eat more! It's Murphy's Law! Being at home all day doesn't help either as the fridge is always nearby.

Anyway, I am hoping that by writing this it will give me the strength I need to get myself in to gear...I shall keep you updated!

Elena's Beanie

Starting my beanie for Elena

I promised to make a beanie for my friend Elena about 2 months before Christmas! I've started it about 3 or 4 times now with different colours, but I didn't like how it came out. I tried to do it with quirky, fun colours as Elena is a quirky, fun person!! But each time it just came out looking like a fancy dress hat or at best, a great beanie for the kids!...So, now I'm going for some more subdued colours...Hope you like it Elena!

27th January

Beanie finished!! Took me a while as this week Mr. T. hasn't slept, which means I haven't slept, which means I've been like a zombie during the day. So anyway, it's finished...it's a bit weird, but we like weird...and most of all, Elena likes it!!

Elena and her finished beanie.

The Bad Cook's Quiche

OK, so I'm not a great cook...just like my school report for sports "Nancy can do it, she just doesn't try"!!! If I really feel like it then I don't do a bad job, but I don't like being in the kitchen all day everyday....Until, that is, I learnt how to make QUICHE!!!

It so easy, quick, unmessy and tastey! You can stick practically anything in it...and the best thing is that you can use up all those left over bits and pieces that you leave in the fridge until they go mouldy and you have to throw them away (OK, it's probably only me that does that last bit!!).

I made this quiche in the picture with a the last piece of a chunk of gouda cheese, some fresh spinach leaves that needed using up and half a courgette that was left over from Toby's veggie soup...and I added some left over ricotta cheese to the egg, cream and nutmeg that is poured over the top....YUMMMMY!

P.S. I buy the pastry base already made!!

Oli's Artwork

Seascape by Oli.

My eldest son Pooh Face, who will be 10 in May, is also a lover of arts and crafts...He's going to be a great artist one day I'm sure as both sides of his family are arty and crafty.

He did me this wonderful seascape about 3 years ago and it's been stuck on the side of my microwave ever since...I keep meaning to buy a frame for it so that I can hang it some where more appropriate, but it really jazzes up the dull cream microwave!!

I love having all his paintings and other stuff he's made around the house instead of stuck away in the wardrobes, it's a way of him putting his little stamp on the place!

IKEA Hackers - Alicia's Craft Corner

I need a craft corner in my house!! I'm using the dinning room table at the moment, which isn't ideal!

Love this idea from Ikea Hackers. Now I just need to find myself a corner!!

Photo c/o Ikea Hackers

IKEA Hackers: alicia's craft corner: alicia's craft corner turned me all green. i love it that it is so flowery, so girly, with such a beautiful mix of colours and patterns. ...

A Duvet for Mr. T.

Mr. T's new duvet.

Here's a duvet and duvet cover that I made for Mr. T's cot.

The actual duvet inside is made from a spare duvet that I cut to size, For the blue, back side of the cover I used a sheet that we already had that doesn't fit any of our beds. The colourful animal print is a roll of material that I bought for just over 5 Euros IKEA and the red ribbon cost me less than 1 Euro in a local haberdashery shop.

A great half recycled, half new...very cheap...and colourful duvet and cover for Mr. T.!!

Art Nouveau

Vintage adverts for "Absinthe Robette" and "Chocolat Ideal".

I got these vintage advert metal postcards in Casa Lis, a museum dedicated to art nouveau and art deco, in the heart of Salamanca.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to go around the museum itself when I was there (I only managed to spend in the museum shop!). But it's definitely on my list of places to go when I go back to Salamanca!

Frames & Butterflies

Wooden butterfly and frame.

These lovely pieces were a pressie from my mum. They're wooden with an old, distressed paint finish.

My mum and her boyfriend travel a lot around England and Scotland in their camper-van and normally end up in fairs or markets where they buy me loads of lovely stuff! Lucky me!

They gave me these two pieces for Christmas 2010.

Rollip Photo Effects

Rollip is a great page if you want to give your photos vintage, classic or other effects (you can see that I use it a lot!!).

I find it useful as I have the super-duper camera, but unfortunately not the skill (YET!), so if your photos come out a bit bland and boring then these effects give your pics that "umph" they need to make them a bit more interesting.

It's really quick as well, just pick an effect, upload your photo and in under a minute you've got a stylish photo! Et VOILÁ!

Photo c/o Rollip

Poppytalk's Mini DIY Round-Up!

Just found a great blog, Poppytalk! New one on my I Love list!

Poppytalk's Mini DIY Round-Up!: Paper roses made from coffee filters from Kuchnia Peina Cudow via La Dolce Via Make a moodboard using decorative...

Paper roses made from coffee filters
from Kuchnia Peina Cudow via La Dolce Via

Such a simple idea, yet so effective and pretty!

Vintage Upcycling

Love vintage, love upcycling and lurrrrve Etsy! Found this brilliant Upcycled Vintage Suitcase Cabinet this morning whilst having a quick sqizz in Benclif Designs Shop.

Photo c/o Benclif Design

Amazing what you can do when you just take time to find the hidden beauty in things.

Bibabath

We have no bath in the house we live in, just a shower cubicle, which is fine for Pablo, Oliver and myself, but you can't shower a baby!

For the first couple of months we washed Toby in the bathroom sink and then in a little blowup baby bath we bought, but he's a big baby and trying to empty the bath after was difficult and messy.

So I started looking around to see if anyone had come up with a good idea for bathing baby when there's no bath in the bathroom and I came across the Bibabath. 

Photo c/o Bibabath

It fits in the shower, has it's own plug so that its easy to empty, it folds away neatly and it can be washed in the washing machine. Great stuff! We did have to buy a low stool to sit on while we are bathing Mr. T. because obviously it's at ground level, more or less, and if you're doubled over too long it's very probable that you won't get back up again!

Well worth the money if you haven't got a bath. For older babies and young children (on their website they say that it's for up to kids of 7, but my 9 year old fits in it perfectly).

Urban Artwork - The Best 100 of 2011

Some people just have the most vivid imagination and amazing talent! Some of this Urban Artwork is brilliant (and some of it makes you think that some people have got waaaaay too much time on their hands!!!).

Photo c/o Terra.

 The article is in Spanish, but you don't have to read it, just look at the great pictures! Enjoy!

Halloween Beanie

OK so Halloween has beanie and gone (I know, that was awful!), but here's another beanie I made for Pooh Face last Halloween.

He didn't actually wear it in the end, but we had some laughs taking the pics! Pooh is a born actor and loves making faces in front of the camera!

Beanies

This is my first try at kids beanies! They worked out quite well to say I just made them up as I went along. I'm not one for reading and carrying out patterns as I get to frustrated when they don't work out and I'm very impatient!

The photo is terrible, I do apologise...but I wasn't in a photo taking frame of mind when I took it!

First Post

My first post!! Oh my, where do I start? Today's been sort of a none day so far as all I've been doing is sitting around, playing with Mr. T. (who's tired and very cranky this morning), whilst starting this blog and waiting for the insurance guy to come to check out the damp. So, yeah...not much doing today.

I was hoping to go up stairs and sort Mr. T's room out (it looks like a car boat sale in there at the moment), but I'm having to wait for the, now very late, insurance guy and seeing as the door bell is rather shy and doesn't like ring out loudly, I'm having to wait downstairs...Oh well, it's given me the excuse to finally start my blog.
Not much else to say at the moment...what a great start to a blog!!
Anyway, I've listed for you some great webs/blogs for you all...Probably a good idea only to take a look at them when you've got lots of spare time because once you start looking you can't stop!
Well I hope this is the start of a long and happy friendship! Ciao!