I've been getting my craft on!

Hi Dolls,

I have been busy busy this week. I got stuck in lincraft (again!). I got a heap of stuff and have been glue-gunning away making cute little headbands for my lil munchkin. It's so much fun being crafty and I have a huge to do list for things in my home - not just baby stuff. I've been scrolling through and watching tutorials on Pinterest.com and have custom made headbands to go with all of Piper's little outfits. Here are a few I made earlier.

I have been putting Piper in headbands pretty much since she was born. Mainly because they are pretty, but also in the hope that when she is older and she is wearing a hat or sunglasses in the summer time she might not feel the need to rip them off - here's hoping! My sister-in-law was making headbands among other things for Piper while I was pregnant. Yep, I couldn't wait to find out what I was having. So, before she was born I had the cutest hand-made cot mobile and pram-tie going around. Everywhere I go, someone comments on how gorgeous it is! Here is a sneaky peak of the cot mobile and our baby girl's nursery. I hung lanterns over her change table. There are white cane baskets with pink gingham inserts under the change table. I put a dandelions decal on the wall. I even hand sewed crystals all over the top of the mosquito net (took me ages!!). My sister-in-law made the canvases hanging on the wall as well using white fabric, pink and white polka-dot ribbon and buttons.

Did I mention that my other sister-in-law is getting married next month? I'm so excited and cannot wait, gosh I love a wedding! We all went Mother-of-the-bride dress shopping last weekend. It's top-secret so I can't say too much. Only it cost a bomb and looks magnificent. We went shopping at the Burke Street Mall. That place is huge! Piper was an absolute nightmare - she slept most of the time and we barely heard a peep out of her, she was the perfect little angel! I behaved myself as well, but did get myself a new pair of Nike runners. I needed them, I swear! I've even used them already (shocked? I know I was!). They actually make me want to exercise. I guess we will see how long that lasts!

Ooo, I also got a dress for the wedding! It is also super top secret... but I will tell you it was from Diana Ferrari and it was $150 discounted to $130 with 50% off. So I ended up getting it for the bargain price of $65!! Absolute bargain, I couldn't pass it up! Gee, bargains make me happy!

I caught up with my girlfriends as well for brunch. We went to Switch at Fountain Gate shopping centre. It was great to catch up. I think sometimes life just gets in the way and you forget how long it's been. I must make the effort to do that more often.

I didn't realise until I started thinking about my week, how much running around I actually do. It seems like I'm never home! We also went and visited Belinda and her brand new 3 week old baby girl, Aleeyah. What an adorable little girl, and such a gorgeous name. I had a cuddle and she felt like she weighed just a breath of air. It made me realise how fast Piper is growing up, she is 4 months old already!

This week, my husband and I also had our first proper date night without Piper! We went for dinner at Outback Jacks. So many people rave about how good the food is here, but I was a little disapointed! My steak wasn't cooked very well and was really fatty, so I don't think we will be going back again anytime soon. We then went to the movies and saw Red Dog. I loved it! Ok, ok, I cried as well, but that's not unusual - I cry in almost every movie! It was an Australian film and it was really good. If you're a dog lover, it is a must-see for sure.

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the lovely sunshine. It's such a beautiful day!

The man chair - do you know it?

Hi Dolls,

This week has been so cold and I've had the heater blasting non-stop. I'm not looking forward to our gas and electricity bills that's for sure.

Our tax money has finally appeared in our account so I can now officially shop - delighted! I went shopping with my husband the other day and it really is a totally different experience when you are shopping with the boys. I don't want to generalise, but most guys, when they shop are on a mission. They know what they want and they just go in and get it. No browsing, no window shopping and no thinking about it. They go in, try a heap of stuff on if your lucky (sometimes they don't try it on and make you take it back another time because it's not right) and spend the big bucks all at once. I end up layering mountains of clothes in my husbands arms with things I think he would like, things I like and things I think would look great but not sure if he would actually go for but am trying to push my luck anyway. They never believe that some things look better on compared to just on the rack. It is actually a bit exciting shopping this way. They don't just pick up a top or a pair of shoes every few weeks, they get the works and get it done once, maybe twice a year. You can tell when they have been dragged along by their partners and are not shopping for themselves. They are sulking and sitting on what I like to call the 'man chair'. You know the one, it's the lone chair just outside the change rooms where the girls leave their shopping companions to sit and wait patiently while they try on a million things and come out for a suitably flattering statement about what they have tried on. Let's face it, we never come out with something that we don't actually like, those things we just call out and say that it just didn't fit right, not the truth where it actually didn't fit at all. God forbid we ask the boys to get us the next size up! So shopping with my husband wasn't too bad after all and he picked up some jeans, a couple of T-shirts, a hoodie and a jacket. He looked very spunky in all his new gear.

I went shopping with my Mum yesterday and we wondered into Williams where I discovered the boots I got last week come in tan! They also had 50% off the second pair of shoes and I could not leave without this other pair as well. The best part was that my Mum shouted them for me as an early birthday present. I know my birthday isn't until the end of September, but they are going on holidays for over a month and won't be here for my birthday so I get to have them now! I love my birthday! The tan pair were $140 and the other pair were $70 discounted to $50 with 50% off. So I ended up getting them for just $25!

                     

During my shopping adventures I obviously had to visit the baby change areas. I have been to quite a few now in the three-and-a-half months Piper has been around. I know the nice ones in each of the shopping centres and which ones to avoid. Unfortunately you can't always avoid the weird people who frequent them. Of course I have met some lovely people there, it's just what you do when you are changing and feeding your baby. You chat to the other Mums, friends, grandparents and siblings. You coo at their babies, ask how old and what their name is and then tell them how adorable they are. You obviously expect this in return! I also see a lot of people with the same pram. I have an apple iCandy. I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone! Whenever this happens we both check out each others pram and and say ooo, do you love it!? The answer is always yes! I have the black one, but you can buy attachments to make it different colours. I reeeealllyyyy want the purple, I hope my husband is reading this and sees how good the purple looks! Hint Hint! There is a LOT of traffic coming in and out of the baby change area. I once saw a line of people wait for the toilet where you can take your pram and the rest of your life in with you for what seemed an age only to discover that it was empty the whole time and it just looked like it was locked. Another time, I saw a women hold her two year old's bottom half under the tap of the sink to wash her. Seriously, I would have given you a wipe if I knew you had run out. Or you could just pay the 2 bucks for a nappy that comes with wipes. I would have been so embarrassed! So note to everyone, best not use the sinks in these places!

We got the new incubus album this week and I have had it playing in the car non-stop. I really like it and can't wait until they come out again. I'm thinking date night with the husband for that one!

I also got stuck  in Lincraft this week. Not literally, but I did spend a lot of time in there sorting through all the fabrics, felts, lace and elastics. I decided to get a bit creative and I made some super cute headbands that go with all of Piper's little outfits. I am really enjoying it too! I will show you what I have been up to in the next few weeks.