January Goals

Here's how I did this month.

• Try two new recipes - done!
• Start a crochet course - done!
• Restart Project Life - waiting for some materials but in progress.
• Put away the Christmas decorations - done!
• Eat my five a day - not every day but getting there.
• Write two letters - done!

Make it Monday - February Birthday Cards

This month I mixed it up a little with some floral cardstock layering. I experimented with the colours a bit and I really like the results. I love using up my stock in new ways.

Weekly Wisdom

When they go low, we go high.

The Saturday Update

What a week!

We had a fab weekend celebrating Nico's Gran's birthday. Family got to meet Joshua and Isabella loved it.

On Monday I drove to Bremen with Nico and visited both of our schools. It was great to catch up with colleagues and pupils.

Isabella was sick in the night so stayed home on Tuesday which limited what I got done even though she was mostly good.

On Wednesday I had a much more productive day. I got lots of calls made and paperwork done. Joshua and I started play group. Isabella and I took Pete for his jabs.

I finished the edging on my blanket on Thursday and managed both kids as Nico had a long day.

Yesterday, a friend visited for coffee. Nico had his last day at that school and Joshua had quite a clingy day but slept five hours in his crib.

Now we've got a quiet long weekend before Nico starts his new job.

Links!

Good news for babysitting grandparents in the UK.

Absolutely.

Reminds me of home. (warning - strong language!)

What a moving story.

And another - this show always makes me cry.

Fun new ideas.

Teenagers!

Wanderlust.

Who said size matters?

Such a kind idea.

Playgroup

Yesterday, Joshua and I started a new playgroup. When Isabella was a baby we took friends' advice and joined a group through Werder Bremen football club. I promised myself that I'd always treat both children the same. So now that we're too far from Bremen, I started looking for groups nearby.

I found nothing online so I asked my midwife and she put me in touch with a lady about half a mile away who runs a group out of her house.

Yesterday was our first visit. It wasn't exactly what I expected; there was no singing and the other children were a lot older, about eighteen months. There were six of us and the mums talked while the kids played. Joshua sat with me and watched the action.

We'll go again - there are a couple of older babies who just missed yesterday. I guess I'll just sing with Joshua at home for now.

Recipe: Turkey curry

Ingredients:
-250g turkey
-onion
-red pepper
-tin chopped tomatoes
-red curry paste
-salt
-curry powder

Brown the turkey in oil. Add the onion. Cool the mix with the tomatoes and lower the heat. Add the pepper, paste and seasoning. Simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.

We like it with rice and I love that Isabella polished hers off last night!

Reading Review

The Story of a New Name - Elena Ferrante

This novel follows on from My Brilliant Friend and is every bit as good. It follows the same set of characters through early adulthood, their relationships and journey into parenthood. It was a great read and I'm looking forward to the next installment in this saga.

Letters to Tiptree

This is a collection of letters written by modern writers to James Tiptree Jr. This was another gift from Nico. Previously, I hadn't heard of James Tiptree Jr. This was the pen name of Alice Sheldon, a sci-fi writer in the 60s and 70s.

The story of this author is so special because of the dual identity and the gender barriers that they broke. At that time, many believed women couldn't write good science fiction, yet here was a woman writing some of the most popular stories of the time and she had everyone fooled.

The letters themselves took a bit of getting through, especially as I learned the background as I went along. Afterwards there's a short explanation of each writer's background which I felt would have been better collated with their letters.

The most interesting part for me was the collection of letters from James Tiptree Jr./Alice Sheldon herself to her contemporaries and their replies. This provides more of an insight to the story. I'd love to follow this story a bit more.

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

This one was a gift from the 100 classics list I am working my way through. With this one it really was work and took me a while to get into.

It is a novel about different road trips taken by the narrator across the U.S. and is written as he thinks (as a stream of consciousness). That's why it took me a while and to be honest, while it reflects its context (1940's America), it's not a page turner.

For me, it fits in with old fashioned prose like The Great Gatsby. I'm glad I stuck with it but not one I would especially recommend.

Make it Monday - Knitted Blanket

Today I'm sharing my knitted blanket with you. After a year of knitting one patch almost every week, it's finished! It's so warm, I love the colours and it shows so many techniques that I have learned.

Next, I'll be crocheting a decorative edge and knitting a matching cushion.

I can't recommend the Simple Stylish magazines enough. I've enjoyed the knitting one so much that I recently signed up for and started the crochet course too! It's available in English and German.

Weekly Wisdom

If you have a family that loves you,

a few good friends,

food on your table,

and a roof over your head,

you are richer than you think.

The Saturday Update

What a whirlwind of a week. Mum arrived last Saturday in a snowstorm. It's been so cold this week that that snow is still lying around. We had a quiet weekend and went out for a drink on Sunday.

On Monday we took Joshua for his check up and first immunisation. He's doing really well on the growth scale - he just didn't like the ultrasound. Afterwards we went for lunch, did some shopping and picked up Isabella.

I had my check up on Tuesday, all good. We ran some errands around Leeste and watched the Notebook as Mum had never seen it.

We had another quiet day on Wednesday. We stayed in Leeste and Mum bought Joshua a lovely warm snowsuit. In the afternoon Nico and I had a meeting with Isabella's nursery teachers. It was all very positive - we are very proud.

On Thursday we went into Bremen on the bus, had lunch and did a bit of shopping. It was Joshua's first big trip out and he did really well. Mum cooked a lovely liver dish for dinner and Doug arrived in the evening.

We kept Isabella off nursery on Friday, popped to the library and then took her for shopping, lunch, ice cream and the playground in Kirchweyhe. After her nap, we went out for dinner to a new restaurant near us. Mum and Doug left in the night.

This weekend we are celebrating a family birthday and taking Joshua to meet more of Nico's extended family before the last week before the semester break and Nico's new job!

Links!

What a sweet story.

Good to know!

What a wedding guest!

I'm hearing this a lot.

A sweet idea.

This made me grateful.

I never knew this.

Such important work.

This freaks me out.

These videos always make me cry.

Inspiration

Lately I watched this video as part of the creativity course I'm taking. I found it quite an interesting take on creative inspiration.

Recipe: Spicy Tomato Soup

Mum's here this week and today she made me some delicious spicy tomato soup. It was just what I needed in this weather!

To make it you take:

- 2 boiled carrots
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 tin baked beans
- garlic
- chopped onion
- pickled onions
- cumin
- chilli
- salt and pepper
- water

Combine the ingredients in a pan. Blend with a hand blender and heat up. Easy and delicious! Thanks Mum!

Crochet!

My new crochet course finally arrived and I'm loving it!

It's the same company as the knitting course I've been doing for two years now. They also send wool to make a patch each fortnight or week and at the end, you sew them into a blanket.

The first issue has two patches and as it's easier than knitting while feeding Joshua, I've finished them already! It's very therapeutic and I'm so happy learning something new.

Make it Monday - Infinity Scarf

As part of my year of 'create', I'd like to make as many gifts as possible instead of buying. (Anyone who thinks that's cheap ought to check out the cost of fabrics and materials!)

Kicking this off in January is my best friend's birthday tomorrow. I sewed her this infinity scarf using this tutorial and two meters of this black and white woolen check material.

I figured it's warm and the colours are neutral - I hope she likes it!

Weekly Wisdom

Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can conquer the world.

The Saturday Update

Well we survived our first week!

Monday was a quiet day.

On Tuesday we were out a lot - shopping in the morning, looking round the kindergarten in the afternoon. Isabella loved it, we did too - really hope she gets in. She cried when we had to leave.

The midwife came. Joshua's doing well - put on over a kilo!

Wednesday was quiet again.

On Thursday we went to Kirchweyhe to meet the other yoga mums for brunch again. It's always great to catch up and Joshua was much more aware this time, though he's still tiny in comparison.

Isabella was ill yesterday so I kept her home and changed our appointments. It had snowed heavily over night so I was glad to stay in and Isabella was well enough to play in it by the afternoon.

Mum's arriving today so we'll be out and about next week. Looking forward to it!

Links!

This looks delicious.

A future project?

My project for today.

What a wonderful idea.

I'd love to visit this.

Looking forward to a few of these.

Interesting ideas. (Though I don't believe in the "perfect parent")

What a fab review.

Made me laugh.

Dreading the teenage years.

One second a day

For over a year now I've been following Elise's progress with this fun project. Having finally invested in a smart phone, and loving Elise's finished product, I've decided to try this out with my family too.

We're a week into the project and I love it already. It's such a sweet way to capture moments that don't come across the same way in a photo. It's very child-heavy already, which I love - I can't wait to see how they change over the year. For this reason, I won't be sharing the actual video here though.

I'm still getting used to this project - I have to keep reminding myself to capture a second for the day but sometimes it just fits - I got an excellent clip of Isabella singing to Joshua this morning.

I'm not sure how I'll progress with this idea but right now I'm excited about it and it's a fun way to create something for us to look back on.

Recipe: Gluten free biscuits

Last night Isabella and I tried this gluten-free biscuit recipe. I changed a couple of ingredients (rice flour for coconut flour and butter for coconut oil).

It was difficult to work with, as most gluten free doughs are. In the end, we made one huge biscuit and cut the shapes when it was baked.

The biscuits are very soft, almost cake like but tasty. A recipe we can work on.

Currently...

...enjoying snuggles with my baby boy.
...creating new things.
...watching Prison Break.
...drinking decaf.
...capturing more family moments.
...planning for the future.
...missing my other half during the day.
...eating more fruit and veg.
...looking forward to girls' brunch and Mum's visit.
...finishing up a big long term craft project.

Make it Monday - Nursing pads

I recently stumbled across this tutorial for nursing pads and thought 'what a great, eco-friendly alternative to the disposable ones that I use.

The project was quick and easy (as it needs to be with a nursing six-week old) and I'm looking forward to trying them out. They're not perfect or pretty but they are practical, which is what you want in a nursing pad.

As well as being washable I recycled some old material so they didn't cost anything either. I'd recommend them to all nursing mum sewers.

Weekly Wisdom

I make, therefore I am.

The Saturday Update

We've had a fab productive last week of the holidays here. Isabella went back to nursery on Tuesday which gave us a bit more routine as well as peace and quiet! She has loved being back among her friends, it bakances her out.

We've used the time to get the house sorted out, Christmas tidied away for another year and our official / financial paperwork done and sent.

Joshua's settling more and even slept through one night! He's getting more alert every day.

I did lots of creating - one thing each day and I'm still excited about my goals and one little word this year.

I'm going to miss having so much family time next week but I am looking forward to getting into a routine with my little man.

Links!

My next DIY sewing project.

Need an update for the new year?

Start thinking about next year early.

That delicious recipe again.

Let's put some good karma out there.

And a social update too.

Wanderlust.

Another new blog I'm enjoying.

Made me laugh, and cry.

Self-help is so important.

Recipe: Chocolate Berry Dessert

I tried this new dessert from cupofjo this week. It's easy, quick and delicious. It's also quite heavy so you could reduce the recipe or invite people round!

Ingredients:
170g butter
198g chocolate
200g sugar
3 eggs
45g flour
1 cup frozen berries (defrosted)

Melt the butter and chocolate. Combine all of the ingredients. Transfer to a baking tin and move to a preheated oven for twenty minutes at 200°c.

We served with vanilla ice cream to cut through the bitterness.

Netflix

After some consideration, Nico signed us up for a trial month with Netflix. It's been less than a week and we're converts.

There's way more choice than I thought. So far we've binge watched The Crown and one and a half series of Prison Break. It really is infectious, especially since it automatically starts the next episode.

We'll almost definitely be signing up for good, I'm really looking forward to new series. I'll be looking for something girly to watch while I'm feeding Joshua or knitting when Nico's back at work.

I also like that you can set up different accounts. Isabella's is PIN protected so she can't get into anything she shouldn't.

If you're looking for me...

Goals!

I spent a lot of time in December thinking about what I want to make of 2017. I'll be on maternity leave this year. It's longer than I had with Isabella and it will be less hectic as we're not moving house. I'm grateful for both of these things.

I'm a fan of Ali Edwards' project One Little Word. I lost track of it last year but I'm planning on being more focused this time and I've chosen the word 'create'. I'm really excited about this.

Create can cover so many different aspects of life and I made a little mind map yesterday. I want to continue to create things through my crafts, I want to create homemade meals for my family, I want to create a happy, healthy home environment, I want to create better relationships with friends and family, I want to create healthy habits so that I can do all of the above.

I aim to create something every day, no matter how small and in doing all of this, I hope to create some happy memories with my family.

My monthly goals are going to reflect these intentions this year and here are January's:

• Try two new recipes.
• Start a crochet course.
• Restart Project Life.
• Put away the Christmas decorations.
• Eat my five a day.
• Write two letters.

Make it Monday - January Birthday Cards

Here's a preview of this month's birthday cards. I've stuck with my November / Christmas theme of the brown cards with black letter stamps. I still love the effect but I am planning on getting more creative this year. I'll be sharing more on that this week.

2017!

Happy New Year!