I always have so many amazing ideas about making all these incredible presents for everyone and wowing everyone with my DIY skills, unfortunately every year my DIY efforts are more like DIYfails…

This year I’m as un-organised as ever (if not more so) and frantically knitting away some Christmas stockings, baking like a crazy woman and trying to cross things off my list.

That’s my token (yet unfinished – how timely for this post) gingerbread house for this year, next year – use a template! Cut more carefully! I’ve finished a ginger and cherry panforte and need to complete the white chocolate fig version as part of my handmade Christmas efforts. Then, some jarred mincemeat and mince pies…… oh yeah, need to buy presents too!

http://www.shopbop.com/runway-time-teller-watch-michael/vp/v=1/845524441909656.htm?folderID=2534374302055823&fm=other-shopbysize-viewall&colorId=36369

http://www.shopbop.com/rose-gold-watch-michael-kors/vp/v=1/845524441861018.htm?folderID=2534374302055823&fm=other-shopbysize&colorId=11784

So I’m getting quite addicted to this knitting buisness and picked up some patterns in France. Bad idea, they are so gorgeous and now I want to knit them all!! Small problem, I don’t remotely speak french and the patterns are… intense.

This is how they write increases etc

depuis le debut de l’ouvrage, augmenter de chaque cote au debut de chaque rg:
1 fois 3m.,
11 fois 2m. = 68m.

As far as I can tell, this translates in English to something like..

since the beginning of the work, increase each side at the beginning of each row:
3m 1 times.,
2m 11 times. = 68m.

Oh my god i totally worked it out.

[FRENCH]en coloure blue marine monter 18m
tricot 4 rgs au pt jersey end prendre le coloure  vert et continuer en tricotant au pt jersey end

en meme temps depuis le debut de l’ouvrage, augmenter de chaque cote au debut de chaque rg:1 fois 3m., 11 fois 2m. = 68m.

[ENGLISH]

Cast on 18 stitches in navy blue.
Knit 4 rows in stocking stitch then take the green color and continue knitting in  stocking stitch

then increase each side at the beginning of each row: first row has 3 stitches either side increase, then increase every row by 2 stitches either side (knit 11 rows).

Good times!

pretty much in love with these liberty / nike collaboration premium high dunks… not sure if I would buy them myself though considering I’m against paying RRP fr anything and they will sell out… that and I don’t really need another pair of high tops

Cath Kidston mugs making me happyyyyy inside

baby R helping me fix my laptop keyboard (fixed!! more blogging action hopefully *should* be taking place as a direct result of this)

lots of happy hooking time has been taking place and baby R’s blankie is coming along very nicely!! so exciting!

the sun is starting to shine more and It’s lovely having my sister in law staying with us for a few months too xxxxxxx

My baby turned 8 months a few days ago and wow how time has flown. I keep meaning to update my blog but basically I’m too lazy. Anyway… Reuben is now “crawling” (body still on the floor but getting where he wants to go pretty quickly!) which is so exciting, I love seeing how determined he is to get places.

He still is such a good natured baby, always happy and relaxed and just goes with whatever is happening. He still is a great sleeper – although we have had many disruptions recently (to be expected – we are in New Zealand with my parents) – but on the whole fantastic he still sleeps 11 or 12 hours solidly at night and has 2 naps of 2-2.5hours each. I am in the process of weaning him from his third nap although I’m not too sure how ready he is for this yet.

His eating is going well – he has a very large appetite and I nurse him 4 x a day with 3 solid meals. I have struggled while on holiday to prepare homemade baby food like I normally do and we have resorted to using too many jars of organic babyfood. Oh well there is time to fix that.. A sample meal routine/menu for him is something like this:

Breakfast: Breastfeed & Oats/Fruit/Water blended/mashed. Sippy of water
Lunch: Breastfeed & Vegetable/Rice, sometimes fruit/oats
Dinner: same as lunch
Bed: Breastfeed

I pump almost every night before bed too which has been great as his grandparents (my parents) have enjoyed being able to feed him and I have enjoyed having such wonderful babysitters!! I want to write a review on my pump soon because it is AMAZING. But for now it is called Avent Isis iQ duo – Double electric pump – learns your rythm.

Rueben is a very curious and easily distractible baby so our nursing sessions are about 5-10 minutes long now. I haven’t had him weighed properley since we arrived in NZ but I took him on my parents scales and he is over 10kgs now (over 22lb).

All in all I love him an unspeakable amount times a million plus four and I hope he reads this one day and knows how much I love him

00:03 on a school night. So much for that goal! I’m still in the lounge.. not even close to being ready for sleep.

check out what lover boy got me. ohhh yeah. can’t believe Christmas is so close… dude, this is a timely reminder of summertime in NZ approaching YEAH BABY YEAH

DecorPad is amazing.

Lets see if I can set myself some more goals for this week that I shall not achieve or probably even attempt to do…

1. Sell my cross trainer
2. eBay old baby clothes
3. Lose weight
4. Go to bed early
5. do my IKEA returns
6. buy new baby sleepsuits
7. learn to knit
8. get a sewing machine
9. visit H&M

I pretty much know none of those are gonna happen, especially not 3 or 4 lol. dude my life is pretty awesome if these are my top 9 things to do this week

This was a cake for my friend Melissa who turned 12 years old last week.

Inside the cake was what I normally bake when I am not sure of someone’s preference, layers of chocolate and vanilla cake with a chocolate buttercream.

meet my baby