Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Score of the week!

OMG I'm so excited!! I just bought the first piece of furniture for my new sewing studio (the tram, see previous post)


A PURPLE COUCH!!!!


If you already didn't know I ♥ purple!

My office space is going to look so funky :D :D

Eventful weekend

The past weekend has been very eventful and not all of it was in a  good way.

My husband left on Friday afternoon for a weekend away in Melbourne with a mate so I took the kids out for tea, they decided on KFC (blergh)


I woke up feeling great Saturday morning so decided I would take the kids for a drive to Rochester (30 mins away) to the first Kids Market Central Vic It was a nice drive and the kids had a wonderful time looking around at all the wonderful handmade items and especially loved getting their faces painted, for free too, gotta love a freebie!

 I think the highlight of the day was the helium balloons. They are still floating about so for a small cost of $2 each (that included a weight) they would have to be the best buy of the weekend!
After we got home the kids where very misbehaved, they always seem to be when hubby is away. That left me feeling very annoyed and upset. I couldn't believe after giving them a great day out ( we also stopped at the park on the way home) they would be so unappreciative.   So their punishment was they didn't get to come to the market in Echuca the next day. Lucky ( or should I say unlucky) for me my mum was able to look after them so I could go and check it out. I was hoping it would be a market I might attend in the near future.
It was a wonderful day, so nice to get out on my own with just Miss L. The market wasn't really what I was expecting, much much smaller so I really didn't feel it was worth doing for the money they charge for stall fee.
On my way home is when my whole weekend fell apart!

My car broke down!!! Normally this wouldn't bother me to much, but with hubby away (so had to get my mums husband to come get me) and the fact we had only a few months beforehand replaced the motor in this very car had me close to tears.
So yes I think it is more of case of being unlucky my mum was free to look after the kids. Turned out to be a pretty disappointing day.

Oh and it looks like the car is dead so I'm currently back driving around in the bush bomb :(

Yes Yes I know it could be worse, I could be stuck without a car, so I should be thankful for the bush bomb but seriously, who would be happy driving around in a car without a radio, the fuel gauge doesn't work and it leaks water so I have to try and remember to keep it topped up...Stressful much!

Friday, September 23, 2011

So true


And now I'm going to go catch up one some TV shows I downloaded today

Mumma made

After 6 months of pregnancy (no she wasn't premature, I found out I was pregnant at 14 weeks)  and  10 weeks of life my little girl finally got her very own The Art Of Fabric dress! Gee slack aren't I?! LOL
And of course its made from strawberry print fabric...her name while I was pregnant was strawberry princess.

Isn't she just the cutest!!

The reason I was inspired to make her a little dress ( and it was little! I had to use a dolls pattern ♥ ) was we were going on a trip to Melbourne to meet up with some friends.
Someone I have known for awhile online has flown over from Perth so a few of us were getting together for a catch up. It was a great day full of fun and laughter. My youngest son loved the playground we went to.  Being such an easy place for me to find/get to its perfect for meet ups with Melbourne friends!

 Yes they are mumma made pants her is wearing :)


It was wonderful to finally meet Katie and her little boy. Katie has been such a huge supporter of my little business so I really treasure her friendship.
There was a group photo taken but O.M.G I look like a total idiot in it LOL so I wont be sharing that! LOL I hate getting my photo taken.

On the drive to Melbourne, I realized I drive pretty much straight past where my Doula lives, so I sent her a text and organized to stop in on my way home. It was so good to see her again. We haven't had caught up since Miss L was born.
I must make more time to catch up with friend!

Monday, September 19, 2011

The Tramsformation!!

Its happening Its happening!!!!  I'm finally getting my very own sewing studio!!

For the past 12 months I have taken over part of our bedroom using the corner as my sewing area.


Hubby has always been supportive but I know at times ( when he wants to go to bed and I just need a few more minutes to finish an item, or the bed has been taken over with pattern pieces and fabric) it gets annoying.
Well not for much longer!
For the past several years we have been storing an old Z Class Melbourne tram in our yard for hubby's work. When he found out they no longer wanted it he jumped at the chance to purchase it. After a few emails back and fourth hubby got the OK.
The next day they made it official getting hubby to pay $1 or the tram and writing out a receipt.
Owner ship of the tram was now ours! YAY!!

Last weekend hubby and his mate got started cleaning out all the stuff that was being stored in it (which we now also owned, *sigh*) and working out what seats need to be pulled out and what was to stay.

I'm so excited and I can't wait until she is finished. Its going to be awesome having my very own space to sewing and create...or just to hide away in when I need some me time LOL

Needs a coat of paint

  Yet to be gutted and cleaned

Friday, September 16, 2011

I can bake a rainbow

Red and yellow and pink and green
Purple and Orange and
blueI can sing bake a rainbow,
sing bake a rainbow,
sing bake a rainbow too.

Last night I had a desire to bake, I didn't care what I just wanted to get into the kitchen and make something. I often get these urges and sometimes find myself cooking at midnight lol

So I took this opportunity to make a cake that I had seen on Pinterest awhile ago...Warning pinterest is a very addictive site that you need to take a cut lunch with you when you sit down at the computer!

Anyway back to my rainbow cake....I started out with a simple butter cake and divide it into four

Then add the colours

Now you layer them into the cake tin. Though what I did wrong was made all the layers even, when your suppose to have more on the bottom and gradually have less and less with each layer. I made them all even and as you can see you cant see the bottom blue layer very much.

Bake
(I had a little to much cake mix for the size of my tin lol)


How cool does it look!!
Notice you can't see much of the green and blue layer? That's because of the mistake I made mentioned above.


The cooking bug didn't stop there, I made some cookies today from a recipe my friend gave me..I think I almost orgasmed when she gave me a taste of this cookie dough on Wednesday when I was visiting here.
This cookie dough is the best, and the cookies it makes aren't too bad either :P
It makes soo many, I ended up putting half of it into some cling wrap and freezing it.

  The Recipe is
500grams of butter
1 cup of sugar 
2 tins of sweetened condensed milk
4 cups of self raising flour
2 packets of choc chips

Whip the butter and sugar, then mix in the condensed milk and flour . Mix in the choc chips. Put teaspoons of mixture onto a try and bake for around 10-15 mins (until the edges go golden brown)
Leave to rest for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
Enjoy!!

Now its time to decide what to cook for tea......


Thursday, September 15, 2011

Are you ok?

R U OK?Day is a national day of action aiming to prevent suicide by encouraging people to connect with each other and ask: "R U OK?

I encourage people to reach out and connect with someone and also those that are not feeling ok to please open up and talk to someone. Don't just put on that happy face and say "yep I'm OK"

I know how hard it is to talk about problems, I'm one that puts on the fake smile a lot of the time and bottles up my problems.  So please just for today take off that happy face you hide behind and talk about what is bothering you. Get the help and support you need. You dont have to go through your pain and suffering on your own.

Its ok to say No Im not OK

If you can't talk to someone around you please contact one of the following places
http://www.lifeline.org.au
http://www.beyondblue.org.au
http://www.kidshelp.com.au/

Much love to you all xxx

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My home birth

Early this year we found out we were expecting baby number 5. It was a huge suprise as I found out when I was 14 weeks along!!
From the moment I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to home birth, I had wanted to with my last baby but my husband wigged out on me so I didn't pursue the idea. This time I didn't give him a choice!

It was a bit of a stress trying to find an independent midwife and the funding ( we has to get a new motor for our 7 seater car before this bub was born) and it was up in the air right as to whether I would get my home birth or not right up to to end.

After a horrible appointment at the hospital I came home and told my husband it man up because I wasn't going back to that hospital and I would birth this baby at home with or without him!!
It was then he realised how much this meant to me and took the time to research and realised that having a baby at home ins't such a scary thing.

I found myself an awesome Doula and started preparing for my home waterbirth. It was so exciting I actually found myself wanting and looking foward to going into labour.
My due date (Sunday the 2nd of July) came and went (not that I took much notice of that, after all they are just an estimated due date) but I knew bub would come when ready. I was just enjoying what I knew would be last few days/weeks of being pregnant.
Then
I woke early Thursday morning feeling a little crampy, kind of like very mild period pain. At first I didn’t really think much of it as it was so mild and I hadn’t had my show, which is how all my previous labours, had started.
I spent a few hours lazing on the couch watching TV with the kids getting a cramp every half-hour to 40 minutes.
Finally at around 12 o’clock I had a small amount of show, yet I still wasn’t convinced so kept it to myself. I thought I might try getting up and getting busy with housework to try get things moving along. I cleaned, cooked a zucchini slice and did some washing.  At around 3pm the cramps had become more regular, around 20 minutes apart. But because they were so very mild I still wasn’t convinced it was labour.
I continued to keep myself busy cleaning the house and organising my birth space just in case.
Between 3pm and 4pm I was loosing more show each time I went to the toilet was finally convinced that this was the start of labour and that maybe late tonight/early tomorrow morning I would be having a baby. I informed hubby on what was happening and then messaged my Doula to let her know.
She said to let her know when I wanted her to make her way over (she lives 1.5 hours away). I told her I would see if I could get things moving along a bit more and call her in an hour. Contractions where still very mild (didn’t need to stop through them) and still every 20 minutes
I spent another hour getting the stuff for the birth out and organised when I released I hadn’t sewn up the sling for weighing bub. So I went and did that and then got tea for the kids and put them to bed.
I jumped on facebook at 6.30 to let two of my good friends know I thought I’d be having bub tonight.
I rang my Doula at 8pm. We had a chat and decided she would make her way her as soon as her hubby got home. Even though my contractions had picked up a little they were still mildish but coming around every 10 minutes now.
I text my friend who was coming to take photos to let her know things were happening and to come over when she was ready.
Hubby moved the dinning table and we started setting up the birth pool, my contractions picked up then and I started to have to stop and sway through them, they were coming around every 7 minutes now.
I started thinking we might not get the pool filled in time so got my eldest daughter to get a bucket water into the pool from the laundry tap.
At around 10pm my Doula arrived, I was in the kitchen swaying and breathing through a contraction.
I still felt like I had hours left because even though contractions where coming every 5 minutes they weren’t really strong or painful.
I had another contraction and decided I wanted to get in the pool, but changed my mine. I was worried if I got in to soon it would slow down.
My friend arrived at 10.15 and I decided I wanted in the pool.
It felt so good in the pool.
Within in minutes a really strong contraction hit, I had to really breathe through that one, while my doula patted my down with a cool cloth. After I sat back watching my belly move laughing with my friend. It was about 2 minutes and bang the next contraction hit, even more painful (but bearable) than the last. After that one I joked about wanting an epi which made me think I was hitting transition.
Then what felt like seconds later another contraction hit, I started breathing really deep and felt my body start to push. I tried to slow myself down but my body just wouldn’t stop pushing so I breathed deeper and just went with what my body wanted to do. I felt something bludge out so sat back on my knees and as I put my hands down to feel more come out. At this stage I was thinking my waters were bludging out. To my total amazement it was my babies head and I started yelling her head is out. As my doula stood up and went to help me her body just slipped out. All within seconds there was a baby in the water in front of me! My doula said pick her up, I think I was in shock that she was out LOL
I picked her up and said “I did it, I did it” then kept repeating how small she was. I was expecting another 10 pounder.LOL

Relaxing after a contaction
 I had just pulled her up out of the water here




Lilyana Harlow  was born at 10.36pm on the 7th of July
Weighing 8 pound exactly, 47 cm long.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Such a sad day

I was going to come in today and update on the things that have been happening over the past few months but I will save it for another day.

Today the handmade community is  standing still in support of a dear WAHM friend.
Nat and her family are saying good bye to their  little boy, who was born sleeping on fathers day.
My heart breaks for them and I can only imagine the pain they are going through.
Holding you in my thoughts Nat xxx
RIP Seb ♥♥


You can read about Sebastian on Nat's blog 

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Introduction

I thought I would start off by introducing myself. I'm Belinda, Mum of 5, wife of 1 and owner of  a little business called The Art Of Fabric.
This isn't my first time blogging, I use to have a blog for my business when I started 12 months ago but found myself  posting the same things on my blog that I was posting on my facebook fan page. So I lost the love of blogging and decided to delete it. Something I'm regretting now.

So here I am again, blogging once more. This time it shall be different, it wont all be about my business (hence not using my business name for the blog title) but it will be about my life, my thoughts and anything in between, and believe me there is a lot! My life can be pretty chaotic but I wouldn't have it any other way :)