I have heard from a lot of people around now is the time I will start feeling "the itch". My son is 18 months, he's a little more independent and apparently I will miss having a baby around as I can no longer treat him like one. As I have mentioned in an earlier post I am happy with us being a three and that if that were to change then great but it won't be any earlier than when I'm ready for it.
I have seen many changes in my husband and my son over the coming months, I know it is a developmental change but my son is obsessed with babies, he finds them fascinating and thinks all babies cry, which to him is funny. My husband on the other hand, is trying his hardest not to show it but he is broody for another baby. He has held two of our friends babies and I had seen that look before when our son was first born, if he had ovaries they would have exploded. As someone politely put it, the only one standing in the way of another baby is me.
Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly want my son to be an only child but I'm happy with the way things are right now. I have made no illusion about the fact I find parenting hard and the older my son gets the more difficult I seem to find dealing with him. He seems to currently be going through a stage of finding and pushing all of my buttons so by the time my husband is home for work, I can barely even look at my son. How could I bring another baby into something like that? I said to my sister today, if I had another baby and I feel this way towards my son he would get neglected and I don't want that to happen. I very much want a close family and for my son to embrace a sibling and feel helpful and just as loved but now is just not the time. I am still not physically or emotionally ready.
I also hear a lot that when you have the second one it's easier, but isn't that just what everyone says? What if my second one is worse? One friend admitted their older child is struggling to sleep and they actually get kept up at night by the 2 year old instead of their 5 month old baby who sleeps through. Another admitted they had help bathing both children as the older one refused to be bathed when his 4 month old sibling was bathed. This doesn't sound like something I am ready to get into right now. I know it won't be smooth sailing when I have another child but I'm officially scaremongered. I'm sure in the coming months we will see if my opinion changes but I wish people would stop asking when I'm having another baby. I'm just not ready and no amount of selling it will do that for me.
~AB~
Monday 25 July 2016
Tuesday 19 July 2016
Updates on my projects
This last week feels like it has been the most stressful ever, primarily because I put the stress on myself and a deadline which was almost impossible to meet. This is literally the only time I have before the next lot of visitors show up and we have had people round for two days already. On the positive side we have only had to deep clean once and the house is still tidy so thankfully one less thing for us to do and I have finally managed to do an update video of what the house looks like now. The last one was taken on 27th January 2014 when we got the keys to the house so it's a little overdue.
These visits I think have given me the motivation to finish some of the projects I have been putting off and in fairness I just have my son's table and chair to do (I only have to sand and varnish the table and paint and stencil the back bar of my son's chair) and then after next weekend I will be taking a break. I am exhausted yet I feel invigorated it's so odd! I am really really behind on a course I was taking which thankfully is online so I can now catch up to that this week then take a few naps before the next busy weekend ahead, my nephew's 2nd birthday in the South of England. He will be having a picnic in a national park so I would like to do some baking and intend - time permitting to make these:
Then it is also my sister's birthday and I am always the one who makes cakes for her so being dairy intolerant also, I will be making her this:
I am obviously a glutton for punishment.
So what have I been up to? I will tell you.
I have finished (almost) a baby wall for our hallway, I am two frames short but I will be hopefully getting those this week and the pictures are already printed they just need frames. It showcases the generations of our family as babies/kids next to a much needed mirror. My husband dislikes the fact that it's concave but I love it and it also means it can be high up and I can still see myself in it without having to use a stool. I also think we may start adding babies of friends as it still looks a little sparse but without further ado, my family:
These visits I think have given me the motivation to finish some of the projects I have been putting off and in fairness I just have my son's table and chair to do (I only have to sand and varnish the table and paint and stencil the back bar of my son's chair) and then after next weekend I will be taking a break. I am exhausted yet I feel invigorated it's so odd! I am really really behind on a course I was taking which thankfully is online so I can now catch up to that this week then take a few naps before the next busy weekend ahead, my nephew's 2nd birthday in the South of England. He will be having a picnic in a national park so I would like to do some baking and intend - time permitting to make these:
 |
| Annabel Karmel's flapjacks |
 |
| Dairy free coconut and lime cakes |
So what have I been up to? I will tell you.
I have finished (almost) a baby wall for our hallway, I am two frames short but I will be hopefully getting those this week and the pictures are already printed they just need frames. It showcases the generations of our family as babies/kids next to a much needed mirror. My husband dislikes the fact that it's concave but I love it and it also means it can be high up and I can still see myself in it without having to use a stool. I also think we may start adding babies of friends as it still looks a little sparse but without further ado, my family:
Then there is my son's table and chair. The previous owners of the house left behind their children's table and chairs. Unfortunately like many things in the house from them, I have no idea how but they weren't put together properly. In taking the table and chairs apart I have discovered they are from Ikea, they no longer sell them but here is a picture of the table before:
and the chair with a coat of chalky paint:
I decided shortly after both were painted I didn't like the chalky shabby chic finish to them, so they were then sanded down and eggshelled and now the table looks like this:
I taped off the legs and sprayed them with green gloss and the spray went a lot further up than I was hoping but I really like the end effect. I have decoupaged a print of a road onto the table top and although I still need to sand the excess PVA off where it has made the table yellow and then varnish it all, I personally think it's looking great!
I have also finally finished off the cross-stitches I wanted to put up in my son's room, I just need to get one more frame and I'm all done, I will have to take another picture when all three are up together. This was definitely a labour of love for me and it took a lot more time and patience than I thought I had. I have vowed this is now the end of my cross-stitching thanks to that last piece but who knows in the future...
The piece to the right is another pattern from Etsy and although I'm happy with the finished product, it was mega exhausting.
The mirror in our dining room has been looking very lonely and small since we got it and although it's a stunning piece over our fireplace it was smaller than I had hoped, so I managed to find some smaller mirrors on ebay which were originally black and have spray painted them to match the decor of the room a little more. Although they aren't the same gold as the mirror I think they still suit the brown ceiling and beige walls we have.
Finally, and one that I won't be adding a picture for is a canvas of my husband and son having a moment during his 1 year photoshoot. It was such a raw image of my son sitting on his daddy's knee, holding onto his finger and being cuddled and snuggled by my husband. He was so tired and ready for a nap and although it's something that happens every day, it's so lovely to have that moment captured in an image. The 100 x 50cm black and white image now sits above our stairs and is the last thing you see before bed or you go back downstairs. It's perfect.
I'm sure there are other things I have forgotten to mention but for now this is what has kept me so busy. Another update will follow with pictures of the cakes (hopefully).
~AB~
and the chair with a coat of chalky paint:
I decided shortly after both were painted I didn't like the chalky shabby chic finish to them, so they were then sanded down and eggshelled and now the table looks like this:
 |
| Not sure why the right leg looks so wonky, it definitely isn't! |
I have also finally finished off the cross-stitches I wanted to put up in my son's room, I just need to get one more frame and I'm all done, I will have to take another picture when all three are up together. This was definitely a labour of love for me and it took a lot more time and patience than I thought I had. I have vowed this is now the end of my cross-stitching thanks to that last piece but who knows in the future...
The piece to the right is another pattern from Etsy and although I'm happy with the finished product, it was mega exhausting.
The mirror in our dining room has been looking very lonely and small since we got it and although it's a stunning piece over our fireplace it was smaller than I had hoped, so I managed to find some smaller mirrors on ebay which were originally black and have spray painted them to match the decor of the room a little more. Although they aren't the same gold as the mirror I think they still suit the brown ceiling and beige walls we have.
Finally, and one that I won't be adding a picture for is a canvas of my husband and son having a moment during his 1 year photoshoot. It was such a raw image of my son sitting on his daddy's knee, holding onto his finger and being cuddled and snuggled by my husband. He was so tired and ready for a nap and although it's something that happens every day, it's so lovely to have that moment captured in an image. The 100 x 50cm black and white image now sits above our stairs and is the last thing you see before bed or you go back downstairs. It's perfect.
I'm sure there are other things I have forgotten to mention but for now this is what has kept me so busy. Another update will follow with pictures of the cakes (hopefully).
~AB~
Thursday 7 July 2016
More interiors ideas I'm loving
I know I am a little late this week but things have been busy busy busy at home.
We got some news that isn't the greatest for our household however, this week has also been remortgage time and despite BREXIT (I refuse to speak about it) we just got the most amazing deal with our lender so I'm taking that as our silver lining to stay positive.
Bad news etc aside, I have been up to a lot this past couple of weeks. I'm desperately trying to finish the last embroidery pattern for my son's room, it is such a labour of love but it's almost there. Then there is painting. So much painting. I am so mad at my pregnant self for doing such a botch job on our house. It has been niggling me since I did it that all of the lines on the door frames etc aren't entirely straight and there are blobs of colours that shouldn't be where they are. Also being that we live in an old house, things move so I have had to fill many cracks and holes which I either didn't do two years ago or have appeared and I feel like are mocking me every time I walk into the room. I have used so much caulk, I sent a faux letter to my husband addressed to the supposed creators of commercial use caulk, Elmer Wiggin and Robert Dicks thanking them for their contribution to construction. I am so grateful for the invention of caulk I cannot truly express the words. This weekend will be eggshell time - I have done the white eggshell but unfortunately someone left air to get into our black eggshell (not me) and I had to get some more so I can do our stairs again and door frames. Then there is the table and chairs for my son which have had their first coat but unfortunately due to time, have had to take a back seat. Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather this weekend so I can get those closer to finished too.
So anyway whilst I forget about all of that and have a moment's distraction, I wanted to share some more interiors ideas that pull me in every time I see a picture of them. I don't know quite where I will fit all of these ideas into my house but one day, one day I will incorporate them all!
Herringbone:
Metro tiles laid in a herringbone pattern, I never thought it could get much more beautiful but then I saw the ombre image below and I am seriously lusting. Whilst it must have taken a lot of planning the end result is so beautiful and I'm jealous.
Statement lighting:
One of my favourite lighting places - BHS has gone into administration. I'm so disappointed not only as it's been a British brand for many many decades but because whoever their buyer was for lighting clearly had a talent which wasn't exploited to keep the store alive. The dregs on their website do not demonstrate how truly unique their lighting collection was and unless someone rehires that talent soon and informs me about where they're moving to, I fear I won't ever be able to find a collection like it again.
Wingback chairs:
As you may or may not have seen from an earlier post, I was super excited about a wingback chair which would be the new addition to our lounge which is from MADE.com. I couldn't be happier with it and it looks fantastic next to our shark grey walls and white panelling:
In the process of buying this however we did have another chair in mind which we were also considering:
There doesn't seem to be an image online of the deep red chair we were looking at but this gives you an idea of shape. I love the gentlemen's club look with soft feminine fabric. I do love chesterfield armchairs but they were a little heavy for our room although a chesterfield sofa instead of our current sofa would have been ideal.
Finally, I have fallen in love with the stylings of this particular designer, Suzy Hoodless. In particular her interior design of the Notting Hill Townhouse and Kensington Townhouse which are so in tune with what I love interiors-wise. The simple palettes but complex patterns and textures are absolutely beautiful and I would love the opportunity to meet and/or shadow her or even someone like her one day. I will leave you to explore the images yourself to see what a talent she is (and also to envy the people who I'm sure only live there for half of the year):
http://suzyhoodless.com/project/notting-hill-townhouse/
http://suzyhoodless.com/project/kensington-townhouse/
We got some news that isn't the greatest for our household however, this week has also been remortgage time and despite BREXIT (I refuse to speak about it) we just got the most amazing deal with our lender so I'm taking that as our silver lining to stay positive.
Bad news etc aside, I have been up to a lot this past couple of weeks. I'm desperately trying to finish the last embroidery pattern for my son's room, it is such a labour of love but it's almost there. Then there is painting. So much painting. I am so mad at my pregnant self for doing such a botch job on our house. It has been niggling me since I did it that all of the lines on the door frames etc aren't entirely straight and there are blobs of colours that shouldn't be where they are. Also being that we live in an old house, things move so I have had to fill many cracks and holes which I either didn't do two years ago or have appeared and I feel like are mocking me every time I walk into the room. I have used so much caulk, I sent a faux letter to my husband addressed to the supposed creators of commercial use caulk, Elmer Wiggin and Robert Dicks thanking them for their contribution to construction. I am so grateful for the invention of caulk I cannot truly express the words. This weekend will be eggshell time - I have done the white eggshell but unfortunately someone left air to get into our black eggshell (not me) and I had to get some more so I can do our stairs again and door frames. Then there is the table and chairs for my son which have had their first coat but unfortunately due to time, have had to take a back seat. Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather this weekend so I can get those closer to finished too.
So anyway whilst I forget about all of that and have a moment's distraction, I wanted to share some more interiors ideas that pull me in every time I see a picture of them. I don't know quite where I will fit all of these ideas into my house but one day, one day I will incorporate them all!
Herringbone:
Metro tiles laid in a herringbone pattern, I never thought it could get much more beautiful but then I saw the ombre image below and I am seriously lusting. Whilst it must have taken a lot of planning the end result is so beautiful and I'm jealous.
Statement lighting:
One of my favourite lighting places - BHS has gone into administration. I'm so disappointed not only as it's been a British brand for many many decades but because whoever their buyer was for lighting clearly had a talent which wasn't exploited to keep the store alive. The dregs on their website do not demonstrate how truly unique their lighting collection was and unless someone rehires that talent soon and informs me about where they're moving to, I fear I won't ever be able to find a collection like it again.
 |
| We have this in our dining room (the photo does not do it justice) but I would have liked this instead if we had a spare few hundred pounds: |
 |
| The Lindsey Adelman Bubble Chandelier |
 |
| And we have this in our hallway draping over our monochrome stairs (BHS) |
As you may or may not have seen from an earlier post, I was super excited about a wingback chair which would be the new addition to our lounge which is from MADE.com. I couldn't be happier with it and it looks fantastic next to our shark grey walls and white panelling:
In the process of buying this however we did have another chair in mind which we were also considering:
 |
| Next.co.uk |
Finally, I have fallen in love with the stylings of this particular designer, Suzy Hoodless. In particular her interior design of the Notting Hill Townhouse and Kensington Townhouse which are so in tune with what I love interiors-wise. The simple palettes but complex patterns and textures are absolutely beautiful and I would love the opportunity to meet and/or shadow her or even someone like her one day. I will leave you to explore the images yourself to see what a talent she is (and also to envy the people who I'm sure only live there for half of the year):
 |
| (I mean, just look at this, the tiles, the light, the colours) |
http://suzyhoodless.com/project/kensington-townhouse/
What interiors are you lusting after and who inspires you?
~AB~
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