five smiles

husband-made tarts (more on these bad boys soon)...
cuddles with Grandma...

...and Daddy, too...

hanging out with the pack...
and meeting new and fascinating creatures.


Hope your weekend is a happy one! xx

***

I can barely catch my breath after stumbling across this unbelievably fabulous Perth wedding at one of my favourite reads, Peonies and Polaroids. Now that's a bride. I'm gobsmacked.

* Photography credit Samm Blake.

***

"I don't want to see anything crafty!", my fancy pants fashion illustration teacher at my fancy pants design school would sternly warn us when handing out assignments. "I want polish, you hear?".

"Yes, Sue."

So as you can imagine, one thing design school didn't teach me was how to be a crafty minx. Shame, because now that I'm a Mum, some seriously crafty tendencies have started creeping in. You should see Lalie's room (and you will soon, I promise...because I have to keep up with the Jones' X two), it's a total craft fest! Sue would be horrified. I went crazy unleashing years of pent up crafty urges... and it felt sooo good, even if her nursery is kind of like Luna Park on steroids. A far cry from the 'less is more approach' drummed into us at college.  But it has character... and heart. And I heart that.

Anyway, I digress. I found this handmade baby dress at an op-shop for fifty cents. I vowed not to buy any more baby clothes, but this one lured me in with it's crafty charms. How could I resist? But when I tried it on Lalie, the proportions were all wrong! So I cut it to make it shorter (it would be a crime to conceal Lalie's delicious thigh rolls). But what to do with the rest of the cute vintage fabric and deliciously crafty crochet hem?
Ah-HA! Of course - the Royals Royce of baby craft projects - bunting! No matter how many strings of tiny flags I see, I never tire of them. They're hanging out in our room for now... until I can find a scrap of space in the nursery.  

P.S - And no, I won't be hemming the dress. That would be far too polished.

***

I hesitated for a moment before buying this trio of Red Riding Hood softies because they were missing a pivotal character - where's Grandma!?! ...but then I figured I could always fill in - after all, I'm looking rather haggard of late and have the aches and pains of an eighty year old... maybe it was meant to be.

Is six months too young to start with the morbid gothic fairytales? She cracks up in hysterics when I pretend to gobble up red Riding Hood with the wolf. Am I a bad mother?

* If you're wondering - the brand is Kalimba, the same as the quirky donkey softie. They have some really cute stuff!

***

One thing I love about living in Far North Queensland is the fact that you can take your six month old to swimming lessons at an outdoor (heated) pool, right on the ocean front, bang in the middle of winter. There's not too many places in the world where you can do that.

'Just like a bathy, but bigger' Daddy told her. The cuteness was almost unbearable. I can't wait for next week.

P.S - We are sun smart (you need to be up here!) - the pool was shaded, hence no hat or cover-up.

***

Also... thank you all for your supportive comments on my blogging struggle. I just wanted to clarify that I wasn't ever intending on stopping entirely (God, I would go insane!)...  it was more a discussion about how I need to integrate blogging into my life in a much more healthy, moderate way. I love blogging and being part of this incredible online community of creatives and inspiring mothers - I would be mad to give that up! I agree with many of you that blogging and reading blogs is such an amazing outlet and offers some relief from the monotony that sometimes comes with being a Mum. I'm just trying to shuffle things around to find a balance that works for me and my family. So no, I'm not going anywhere just yet - just reevaluating my time management...which is obviously not working because here I am rambling on...and it's Saturday. SATURDAY, PEOPLE!

Okay, I'm off to enjoy the weekend with my family! A happy weekend to you!! xx

winners are grinners!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my first giveaway to celebrate my 100th post! Your comments were so sweet - it means so much to me that you come and visit me and my little blog. I wish I could give cuddly donkeys and wooden monkeys to each and every one of you - but unfortunately there can only be two winners...

The winner of the quirky donkey softie is..... Andrea @ little 'buckles

The winner of the monkey bowling set is...... Lizey @ shhh... it's Lizeylou

Congratulations to you both!! Please email me your address and I'll pop them in the post pronto!

P.S - notice the 'Luna' inspired outfit? I didn't waste much time recreating that little ensemble, did I? ...albeit a very poor man's baby's version.

***

Eulalie and I are experiencing parallel lives at the moment. We're both tired and in constant agony (my back and her gums). We both won't go to bed when we really should, even though we know it's what we need. We're both about ready to go up a size in clothing. And we're both trying to find a sense of balance, but often find ourselves falling in a heap.

Blogging and reading blogs is all consuming for me at the moment. I have quite an addictive personality and I find myself devoting far too much of my time and energy to this mouse and keyboard. I'd like you all to think I was this cool, nonchalant mother and blogger... but this is hardly the case. I hang on every comment. Refreshing the dashboard every half hour to see the latest posts from my favourite blogs. Meanwhile my house is in absolute disarray and I haven't exercised in God knows how long. I don't want to stop blogging, but I need it to take a back seat. I can't seem to find a balance. I think I need to set myself some rules. Maybe blogging once a week? Only visiting blogs once a week? I don't know...

Have any of you found yourselves in a similar situation? Is it just me or can blogging take over sometimes? If you've struck a balance, tell me your secrets!

P.S - I'm not kidding about the teething. See that string of drool in the first picture? That's Lalie's permanent accessory. Lucky the (non)colour of drool goes with pretty much everything.


P.P.S - Last day to enter.

***

I rarely post about anything other than my own little life and my own photographs, but I just had to share this with you. THE GLOW. Stylish mothers and their children photographed in their fabulous homes. So beautiful. I'm smitten with Luna (top) and her little outfit. Might just have to steal that little one's style while she's too tiny to protest (for Lalie of course).

Photography credit: Kelly Stuart for THE GLOW

6 months

Oh, how it flies by! Six whole months today - and the most loveable (and challenging) Lalie yet. Here she is modeling her new organic threads that I scored half price at the market on the weekend. Love a peter pan collar.

This month will be busy - swimming lessons are booked in, first solid meal is tonight and sleeping in her own room is to commence very soon. Eeek!

She loves Sitting up by herself, being entertained by Mummy (every. single. minute. of. the. day), slobbering on Sophie the giraffe, eating paper, showers with Daddy, sucking her toes, pulling my hair, grabbing anything within reach and putting it in her mouth, patting the puppa dogs fluffy fur, pulling out grass and eating it, playing peek-a-boo and sleeping in the big (our) bed.

She will not tolerate sleeping, not being fed RIGHT NOW, getting dressed after a bath, being left to amuse herself for more than fifteen seconds... Oh, and welcoming teeth (which still haven't arrived but are causing quite a headache).

P.S - I just wanted to thank you for the advice on the teething issue. There is one Selkie Designs amber teething necklace on it's way from Byron Bay to this baby's neck as we speak!


P.P.S - you can still enter the giveaway, if you haven't already!

***

We spent today snooping around the new 'mall' redevelopment in the city. It's been completely refurbished and I must say this sleepy old town is looking pretty snazzy. We stopped for a coffee at a new cafe and wandered around the markets where we managed to grab some local organic veggies - perfect for Lalie's first meal tomorrow (stay tuned)! I also scored some really cute organic baby clothes that I'll share later in the week.

It hasn't been all smiles and sunshine, though. Lalie has been teething hardcore and the last few nights have been brutal. I wish those cowardly toothy pegs would stop all this unnecessary torture and just show themselves already. I am over it.


P.S - Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

100 posts & a giveaway

My little blog has made it to 100! As I await a letter from the Queen, I thought I'd celebrate by hosting a little giveaway - to thank you lovely people for visiting this space and making me feel loved! I'm starting to meet some amazing people with the most inspiring blogs... it's so wonderful to connect with likeminded people and hear about your adventures, while sharing my story with you in return.

So... there's two prizes to be won - a quirky donkey softie (try saying that 5 times fast) by Polish toy label Kalimba and a wooden monkey bowling set. I know not all of you have kids, but Eulalie was adamant on these prizes... so blame her.

To enter, just leave a comment telling me your preferred prize. I'll draw the winners randomly next Friday 22nd July. International entries welcome!

P.S - Notice the big girl sitting up all by herself? She's loving it!

Psst...I couldn't help myself, I purchased something for Lalie too! I'll share the fun with you next week. Have a great weekend!

five smiles

So much for this being a weekly thing. Over ambitious as always - never mind. Here's some happy things to start the week.

Oh, and to anyone who has come to visit me via the ever lovely Em at The Beetle Shack... hello, It's so nice to have you here!

Cute retro rompers (bring on Summer!).

Daddy's shoulders sure beat the bumbo.

Sun shining on a cute, colourful table.

Overspending on pretty petals.

Polka-dots, flowers and stripes, oh my!

Just a heads up - my next post will be my 100th...and I've got a little surprise in store. Stay tuned! xx