yellow

Looking back over the pictures I took in the last week, it's funny to see how yellow is the common denominator (Sewing Bee book included!). Funny too that a colleague of mine brought me a gold-dusted cheese from her local farmers' market, but I didn't get a picture of that!
Anyway it's been a funny old week altogether. I turned another year in the lowest of the low-key ways but managed to catch up at the weekend with a romantic meal in town (sans Baby, which turns out is always weird now). I had great plans for us to have a superb birthday cake, something terribly calorific a-la-Nigella, but never got round to actually doing anything. Had enough calories in my Friday night meal for a whole week anyway, so it's probably just as well.
Instead we made the most of the nice weather and took a couple of long walks (say, isn't it supposed to be the middle of winter...where is the snow, by the way?). I stuck to my plan and sewed a little bit more - I love the satisfaction of taking my patchwork pins out one by one and turning the quilt on its back to see the little alcoves appearing.
We marvelled at how amazing our baby is: she has developped the start of her own language to the rhythm of na-na-na da-da-da, she cuddles us in the evening when she is all tired after her bedtime stories, she loves playing peek-a-boo, fruity yogurts and dragging her cuddly toy along into all her daily adventures. She is simply a star. Our daughter.

new sewing project

2014, as promised, will not see me making any resolutions. And yet, I insisted in setting myself a small challenge for January. It's hard to describe but I have felt a small shift in my way of seeing things. January is my month, and as a Capricorn things tend to be over-analysed and take for evvvveeeeer to actually come to completion. Somehow though, it feels like my looming birthday has given me a big kick in the backside and I have embarked on another baby quilt project.
This weekend I left all the dirty dishes in the sink, ignored all the little things I needed wanted to fix and just did a bit of cutting and arranging fabric squares. Bliss. Then I did more ignoring of the chores and just sewed all the squares together. More bliss.
Tonight I plan to not only sandwich the top, middle and bottom layers together but also start hand-quilting it. Why not?z
I see wonder women everywhere on the net who seem to be able to do it all: job, home-maker, mother and crafter. Maybe they're just bragging. Or maybe I just need to prioritise things differently again from now on if I truly aspire to be a bit more like them.
2014 is still young, but as I keep writing in my students' reports I will do my best and strive to achieve my full potential. Sounds like a plan!

Best wishes

Well, this is it. 2014 has come and the holiday is nearly over. It's been a good time, even though not much has happened: no reading of the couple of books I had lined up, definitely no work prepared for next week, no sewing, and not much sleeping (when can I start having a snooze until 8 again?). Instead, lots of cuddling with Baby, cooking, a new header for this blog, walks in the park and trips to the city, a couple of good movies and a spot of retail therapy.
Resolutions have never really been my forte, so again this year I fail to make any but promise myself to try and keep calm and look after me and my two favourite people, and use my best judgement as much as possible. That should do it. The other things will hopefully just fall into place by themselves over the next twelve months: treat ourselves to our first holiday, sew sew sew, worry less about work, go back to healthier-looking food, spend lots of time with Baby before she fully turns into a little girl (sometimes it scares me how much she has changed already).

♥♥ happy  2014 ♥♥

sweet little nothings

Halfway through the festive season and I take stock of all the extra kilos I think I have put on...I might say I wonder where they have come from, abut really - really- I need to be honest and face the facts: we have completely indulged and over indulged so far (I stopped counting how many boxes of chocolates we have already been through). Never mind, I guess that's what it's all about, no?
Amongst many lovely lunches and dinners, I have made Tom Kerridge's spiced orange cake and the man of the house has made us a yummy borsch in an attempt to restore the balance.
Even baby tried lots of new food, and she now loves mango and cauliflower cheese. Cute!

I hope the end of 2013 has treated you all well.

 *** Best wishes to you for those last few hours it has to offer ***

(I'm off to eat)

holiday treats

'Tis the season to be jolly...fa la la la la...You know the rest. Today on the BBC website I read an article about the stress of Christmas and how lots of us aren't able to cope with the high-running emotions. I have to say, I get their point. So much expectations to have fun - must remember to have a good time no matter what, etc. Well, I attended the customary end of year meal/party at work, and have to confess, that no, I did not have a great time. There- I said it! Did anybody else get bored this year? (Gosh, I hope I'm not turning into a bitter old woman already)

Now, onto actual real fun things: check out the lovely stash of fabric my colleague gave me! All vintage, some good, some bad, but all definitely mine now. Of course, I had to try and hide it from the Man, who now has a near heart attack/fit every time he spots new fabric in the house...but nay, the Man outwitted me this time, and put on his worst face when the other night he said to me with his angry-and-I-mean-it-voice: "what's all this?" Oops...
Hence the puddinis, which were a success, as they are every year. It was like a factory on Sunday night at home. I was trying to decorate the puddinis and watch the Sewing Bee Christmas special at once. I missed at least half the episode as a result, but I have to admit that I agree with what was said on the programme - homemade presents are not for everybody.
Puddinis, however, are homemade and guaranteed to please even the most reticent and anti-Christmas person you know. Nigella, I don't care what you do when you're not being a domestic goddess, your recipes rock!