I'm Still Here!

Wow, it's been over a month since I posted.  Doesn't feel like that long at all but you know when life just takes over and you go into auto-pilot! 
Bubba is 21 weeks old now and has gone from being a wee baby that would play happily on his mat to being a small person who needs a lot of attention.  It's amazing to watch him grow and see his skills developing.  He was eating two meals per day...usually baby porridge mixed with Ella's Kitchen pouches...but started to wake again during the night for an extra feed.  Not good!  Thankfully, the inclusion of a third meal during the day has allowed him to sleep right through again and I feel much less zombie-like.  How on earth do people cope with a baby that still doesn't sleep all night, must be absolute torture.  I'm very lucky.  The sleeping routine was nothing to do with me, Bubba decided that 8pm was his bedtime and that was that.
Bathtime has developed into a monster that I don't like facing alone.  Up until now I've been using a plastic baby bath in the front room but Bubba has learned how to kick and splash....I don't mean just a little bit, I mean half-the-water-out-of-the-bath type splashing and I declared defeat....no more baby bath.  No, I don't mean I'm not bathing him any more!  It's off to the big bath we go and I'm a little terrified of handling a slippery, writhing eel-baby in that big bath.  Today is my first attempt so wish me luck!
Well, we're off to Scotland in the morning to visit my family.  My mum and step-dad haven't seen Bubba since he was 6 weeks old and I can't wait for them to be amazed at how much he's changed.  I love to show him off, he's an awesome wee man.
Well, got a pile of washing to do ready for our trip so I best skoot.  It's 9.30am and I'm not even showered!!  No posts from me over the long weekend but I'll be back to daily posting....I promise (sort of)!

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone xxx

Are You an Art Tart?

To celebrate the launch of the new Art Tart website, I'm very honoured to have been given a unique discount code giving all of my readers, friends and family a whopping 10% discount, (Code BB03).

This site is usually for members only but I have a sneaky little guest login that everyone can use:  NUMB22.

The site is a custom design gallery for both artists and art-lovers alike.  I spent most of last night browsing the hundreds of images and awesome artwork until my shopping cart was overflowing!  The thing is, these images, (starting at a mere £4.99), make the perfect pressies and there's a bit of something for everyone.

You can also make custom prints using your own images.  I wonder what my partner will think if he comes home to find a massive multi-panelled print of our gorgeous bubba adorning the living room wall!  It would look amazing though!
For those of you out there who are a dab hand at producing your own images then get in touch through their website, you could be selling your own work and earning a nice little commission too :)

Go on, have a nosey round the site and don't forget to claim 10% off your orders using code BB03 at the checkout.

I'll leave a link on my blog so that you, your friends and all the lovely bloggers in blogland can benefit.

Sun is shining and the zoo is calling!  Happy shopping xxx

Baby Walker, Dresses and a Massive Ruddy Coldsore!

That about sums up my weekend.
Firstly, my partner was mooching around in the garage and happened upon the baby walker my sister gave me yonks ago.  I had totally forgotten it was there!
Here is the wee man having his first ever taste of independent mobility:

He's made me a little sad this morning due to excessive face scratching again....drawn blood on his nose and it's horrid.  He practically lives in mittens or those baby grows with the attached flappy thing but he must have sneaked out a thumb or something.  I hope he grows out of this soon.

I've managed to fit in a bit of sewing and completed 2 dresses so far for the Dress A Girl Around the World campaign.  It's just a bugger finding the time, or when I do have the time I can't do anything noisy without waking up Bubba.

And finally, I have a big, fat, stinking cold sore.  Not even on my lip but between my lip and nose.  I don't know where it appeared from but I shall mostly be hiding my distorted mutant face from the world today!!

The Contents of My Fridge!

I was tagged a couple of days ago over at the fabulous QWERTY Mum blog to post a photo of my fridge.  The inside that is, the outside would just be boring!
So, here it is in all it's unhealthy and untidy glory.  We only have a wee fridge built in to our kitchen units but it still holds a lot of cider....see Exhibit A:

Thankfully the cider is tucked away behind the cheese so not that easy to spot.  There's a distinct lack of greens in there as the lizards eat it all!  Just count yourselves lucky that it's not snake feeding day so no dead mice!!  I'm serious.
Off to rethink my unhealthy lifestyle!!

Can I Ever Leave Him?

A strange panic has been stalking me for weeks...lurking in the back of my mind ready to lunge at me when I least expect it. 
I only have a couple of months maternity leave left....
It's not a case of being ready to go back to work or not...I simply don't know if I could go for even an hour without my baby. The more I contemplate it the worse I feel.
I absolutely adore the wee man, he is my bestest friend in the whole world and we're a team.  I can't spend every minute of every day with him and then just abandon him with strangers.  What if I missed his first words?  What if he missed me?
It's going to be a tough transition and one that I'm not looking forward to but I have to put it out of my mind or I'll waste away my days with worrying.

Do you regret going back / not going back to work?  What would you have done differently?

I Made a Dress!

Having endured a day of interruptions and limited working space, I finally managed to make a dress.  Two in fact but I have no finished photos of the second so I'll leave that out for now....batteries died in the camera!

I am not good at sewing.  Fact.  Anyone who prides themselves in perfection please look away now.....I hate patterns, (never understand them), can't be bothered to pre-wash fabric or iron as I go, (although ironing always gives a better finish).  I want my dress and I want it now!!

So, to start with I took a dress I'd made previously and sort of cut around it in a very makeshift and haphazard manner:

I then had two pieces cut for the skirt:

I did this for all the pieces I'd need to recreate the same dress, (my second dress is a modification of this as there are at least 3 of these pieces that seem a waste of time to me)!! :

As you can see I lined the breast bits to stop them being see-through and add a bit more structure.  Finally, I sewed them all together in the quickest way possible!!  It has a zip at the back which I just did with the normal sewing foot as I have no zipper foot here at the moment.  Hey presto, we have a dress!! :

This fabric was £1 per meter!  Very cheap dress and I know it fits me so happy days.  Going to make 5 or 6 in total to see me through the summer.

Bubba is very naggy today so no time to post anything else!  Hope you're all well xxx

Edit : Here is a photo of the second dress I made.  Not the most beautiful in the world but looks nice on!

And The Winners Are:

Well, everyone that entered! 

- Caroline
- Becci
- Sian
- Inside the Wendy House

If you could e-mail me your postal addresses and your free pouches of Ella's Kitchen will be making their way to you this week :)  Hope your bubbas enjoy them as much as mine does! 
Email me at : kerry_mackay@hotmail.com
Thanks for entering guys!

Well, it doesn't feel at all like the weekend here as my partner is working overtime so neither of us gets a day off!  Still, I can't complain as the weather is fabulous and I have an awesome wee man to keep me company!
After my fabric shopping trip, (where I bought these lovely fabrics):

I decided that I couldn't live without my sewing machine any longer and brought it back out of storage.  I plan to make myself a dress out of each fabric as the ones I've made previously no longer fit....this one was my favourite:

I really like halterneck dresses so I think I'll do at least one of these....no idea where any of my patterns are so will just have a rough guess at it using this dress as a guide. 
Note to self - full length leggings are not flattering...three quarter length every time please!!

Bubba had an all-out screaming session yesterday...the ones where you're scrabbling to get their clothes off and check every inch of them for injuries or any sign of what could be causing such distress.  A good burp, bit of sick and a few more tears later and he's absolutely fine....Jumperooing his heart out!  It's so stressful though and I was home alone which seemed to make everything worse. 

Off for a look at the car boot sale today...this could be dangerous!!