[Baby] Edith's 2 Month Update

Last Friday Edith turned 2 months old. It's so hard to believe she's already that old but at the same time it feels like she's been here forever. Being two months old calls for another update and she's changed so much in the last month. Edith is now a proper little character and is so happy all the time. Her smile can make you happy even if you're feeling low and can make you forgive her for poo explosions and being sick all over you in the night. Mama life huh?

Sleep

In her last update she would only go for 2 hours at a time. That's all changed, thankfully, She now has a feed between 7:30 and 8:30 and falls asleep. She usually goes until 10, sometimes she will wake up for a small feed and then go back off. If she goes until 10 she will then feed and go until 2. I feed her, change her bum and then feed her again and she goes back off at 3 until 5 or 6. The other night Edith slept 10:30 until 3:45 which is the longest stretch she's ever done. If she was bottle fed I'm pretty sure she would be sleeping through the night but she still needs that feed in the night.

Feeding

She still loves to feed. She's had no problem what so ever and is gaining weight so well. My fast let down has started to sort itself out and she's not struggling as much with it which is great as it means far less milk is being spat out over me. I have noticed over this weekend that I've got a blocked duct which means feeding more from that boob to make sure it's drained properly. I'm hoping it doesn't turn into mastitis so I'm keeping an eye on things. I have been expressing a lot recently as Edith's new sleeping routine means she's not feeding as often as she did. This means that I wake up in the morning with rock hard boobs full of milk. It's so uncomfortable. Some mornings I've woken up with my top covered in milk even with breast pads on. Expressing lots of milk has meant that the Mr is able to feed Edie. Which meant that for the first time in 9 weeks, on Saturday I left the house by myself. Only to get my eyes tested but still. I thought I would enjoy the break but I hated every minute. It made me realise that I need her by my side.

Size

She's still a chunk and long too. She must get her tall gene from my mum because it's certainly not from us. I've not had her weighed in 3 weeks (I'm going this Thursday) but the last time she was weighed she was at 12lb 14oz so I imagine she's now at 14lb. She's starting to grow out of some of her sleepsuits which is sad. I hate packing things away, although it does give me an excuse to go out and buy lots of new pieces. I enjoy shopping for Edith a lot more than I do for myself. I never thought I'd say that.

 Milestones

Big smiles. They are most definitely not wind anymore.

Her first jabs (not a good milestone). She screamed but calmed down quickly once I fed her.

Edith's holding her head up so well, she then forgets. 

She now laughs. 

Things Edith Loves

Having her chin tickled.

Music and being sang too.

Wind up musical toys or anything that sounds annoying.

Milk.

Baths and kicking her duckies.

Chewing her hand.

Happy 2 months Edith!

[Christmas] Lindt Christmas

So the countdown is on, although it's not quite December yet I think we're close enough. I've almost finished my shopping and I'm planning on what decorations I need and my wrapping scheme (it's a very serious decision0. As a food blogger and general food lover my mind always goes to what I'm going to be eating and I'm starting to plan my bakes and how I'm going to fit them around looking after Edith. I definitely won't be going as big as previous years, but I've got a few ideas hidden up my sleeve.

It's not Christmas without chocolate and Lindt have well an truly nailed it with their Christmas collection. There's so many adorable characters it's hard to choose which is my favourite. Luckily they all taste amazing so it doesn't really matter once it's in your belly. I have to say my favourite is the little elves/ Santa's helpers, mainly because the one with glasses looks remarkably like my Mr (to-be). He won't be happy when he reads this. Oooops. 

I have a couple of recipes planned with these gorgeous pieces so keep an eye out for those, in case you're wondering what else you can do with chocolate. Of course that's if you have any left.

I've also got a beautiful Lindt advent calendar too which I'm so happy about. I can't wait to see what's behind each door!

Is it too early to say Merry Christmas?

Although the chocolate was sent to me for my consideration, All opinions on the the product are my own. Read my disclaimer here. 

[Wedding] Our Invitations

Details have been (very poorly) edited out.

I'm so happy to finally share with you our invites. I've almost sent all of them out, I've got 3 left to send but they should hopefully be with their guests this week. To me the wedding invite says a lot about the wedding. I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover or in this case a wedding by an invite but I just do. So I hope you can kind of get a feel for what our day will (hopefully) turn out like. 

We got our invite template from good old Pinterest. There was no way I was going to pay over the odds for for a special design when I could find a beautiful one that I could have for free. It was an editable PDF file which meant we could personalise details and create our perfect invite.

The original plan was to get them printed before Edith came along but for some reason I never got my bum into gear to get things sorted. This meant that we had them printed a week or so after she was born. Luckily I had them designed/details filled out and it was just a case of getting the Mr (to-be) to spell check them for me. We then sent them to the lovely people at Printed.com, who I found through Rosie. They had a deal that if I signed up to their newsletter I could have 10% off my first order. I then received an email saying I could get 20% which was win win. I ordered them straight away and the whole lot cost just over £50, which is a total bargain. I had them printed on the thickest kraft paper, which was always our chosen paper of choice,

I spent a few weeks tying them all. It was a long task with a newborn but I got there in the end. We are so happy with how they look and it's making me even more excited for the big day!

Only 95 days to go!

[Fashion] Grey Days

[Coat, shirt & boots - New Look, Jeans - C/O Clothing at Tesco] 

Yesterday we spent the day at a Christmas market and I finally tackled some of my Christmas shopping list. I'm normally really organised with shopping but this year I'm just not feeling it. Don't get me wrong I'm really excited for Christmas, I bloody love it but tackling already busy shops with an 8 week old is rather tricky. 

Let's just say people don't have much Christmas cheer when you've said excuse for the tenth time, when really you want to just tell them to move out of the way. I've done most of Edie's online with the exception of the limited edition Mog Christmas book from Sainsburys. But I'm finally feeling more organised with just a few more presents to get. Then to tackle wrapping.

I'm totally in love with this coat. I originally bought a sensible parka but decided to buy a traditional waterproof coat from Joules and return my parka for a less sensible coat. Less sensible but so beautiful. A grey coat was on my wish list and this one has fur and faux leather arms, what more could you ask for?

I'm also rocking the double denim but an acceptable double denim. I love how black jeans and denim shirt look. I needed a new denim shirt to put underneath jumpers, I do love a little denim collar peaking through and we are definitely into jumper season it's sooo cold now. Time to break out the hot chocolate and thick cozy blankets. Perfect.

Happy Sunday!

[Food] Ginger Mess #MeringueChallenge

Sometimes being a bit of a perfectionist is annoying. It took me two attempts until I was happy with these images. The first time I made this recipe I made a pavlova rather than an Eton mess. I made it for dessert when my mum and brother came over for dinner. It went down really well but photographing under the awful orange light made the pictures a bit naff, 

So I decided instead of making the pavlova again I would turn it into a Eton Mess, minus the strawberries. It made it a bit easier for me with Edith as it didn't matter if the meringues looked terrible as they would be getting crushed up anyway. 

Things were made considerably easier with my handy new tool. The Masha and it's aerator blade. It makes light, fluffy meringues. It claims to help you make the best mash potato too and it's not lying. It's super easy to use and more importantly for a clean freak like me, cleaning is easy to. Some stick blenders are a pain to clean but with the Masha the bottom half just pops off and the plastic blade comes out too. It also whips cream and yogurt up perfectly too and is going to come in handy when Edith is weening as it makes puree easily too. Can you tell I'm a little bit in love with my new gadget?

Ginger Eton Mess

- Serves 4 or 2 hungry adults.- 

3 large egg whites

175g caster sugar

300ml double cream

200ml Greek yogurt

50g dark chocolate (I use Lindt 85%), melted

7 ginger nuts

- Pre-heat the oven to 140º/Gas 1.

- First of all make the meringue. Place the egg whites in to a clean grease free bowl and whisk until soft peaks.

- Gradually add the caster sugar 1tbsp at a time and continue whisking until stiff peaks. 

- Place or pipe the meringue mixture onto a lined baking tray. It doesn't matter what shapes you pipe as it's going to be crushed anyway.

- Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Leave to cool in the oven.

* If you're feeling lazy you could skip this stage and buy meringues.*

- Once the meringues are cool. Whip the cream and yogurt together until they form soft peaks.

- To assemble the Eton Mess. Crush 6 of the ginger nuts up and place into the bottom of the jars. 

- Place a big dollop of the cream mixture on top followed by a swirl of melted chocolate.

- Top the chocolate with crushed meringue and add another dollop of the cream mixture.

- Drizzle some melted chocolate on top.

- Crumble up the final ginger nut and sprinkle on top.

- Serve immediately. They can be made ahead but it will make the biscuits go a little bit soggy.

Although The Masha was sent to me for my consideration, All opinions on the the product are my own. Read my disclaimer here. 

[Baby] 10 Things I've Learnt During Labour & As A New Mama.

I thought I'd compile a list of a few of the things I've learnt in the last 7 weeks. I hope it makes for a light hearted read as well as a bit of new Mama advice.

You will say and do everything you say you won't. I can't do it, let's only have one and many others will come out. You can never judge the women on One Born Every Minute again.

You'll sniff your babies bum (through clothes, of course) to see if they've pooed. I remember seeing my sister doing it and I said there's no way I'm doing that. I do.

ALDI nappies and wipes are the best ones I've found. They feel a lot softer than most of the others. You don't need to spend a fortune on things that are going to be covered in what looks like Dijon mustard.

You will feel like a cow/milk machine in the first few weeks. However it's such an amazing bond and the pride you feel when you see your milk around babies lips is just incredible.

Your house will never be completely tidy (unless you have a cleaner or an eager relative. The best way to deal with the mess is to leave the house.That way you don't have to look at it and you can hopefully deal with it when you get back,

You will smell of milk and you'll debate whether daily showers should turn into hourly showers. Also uninterrupted baths are a rarity but when they happen they are oh so beautiful.

You'll want to spend all the money you have on pretty clothes and putting together outfits is just as fun as you think it would be,

Poo explosions, being weed on and sick on your shoulder is now part of everyday life.

Getting out of the house can be tricky. You'll probably not be on time for a while and making the train with a minute to spare will become a regular thing.

It's the most incredible experience and all of the sick and poo are totally worth it. Every minute is just beautiful and being a mama is just the best thing ever!

[Fashion] Monochrome

[Top, Necklace, Shoes - Primark, Jeans - C/O Clothing at Tesco]

Today is the first day I'm back to blogging, all the scheduled posts have run out and now I need to start organising all the Christmas posts and remember to get all my blog photos at the weekend. My weekdays are still too busy at the moment and some days I struggle to take a picture worthy of Instagram, this terrible light isn't helping either!

A couple of weeks ago we ventured into the city for a shopping trip. I had saved a bit of money throughout my pregnancy to buy a few new pieces for winter, including my coat and boots. The day was so lovely, being treated to Jamie's Italian by the Mr, it was not as stressful as I had imagined it to be. It was the longest trip we've taken Edith on (and still is to date), a good 45 minute drive. She was amazing and we only had to pull over for a feed once on the way back. She really didn't like being stuck in traffic.

I'm very boring, most of the year to be fair, but in winter I do like to stick to darker, richer tones. My wardrobe is now full of  greys, blacks, burgundy and more recently khaki. I do love winter dressing and layering up vests with jumpers, it's just so cosy. I'm in the process of sorting through my wardrobe. I want to get rid of a lot of the pieces I've not worn in a while, I'll be listing a lot on eBay (hello paypal money) and pack away the dresses. It's annoying that with feeding I can't wear dresses unless they button up as I can't be lifting my whole dress up to feed Edie every time. So all my dresses will be going in vac pack bags for now. By the way Poundland Vac Pack bags are really good!!

I'm pretty sure that clearing out your wardrobe means you're allowed to buy more things right? We'll see how that one goes down.

Happy Sunday Folks!

[Beauty] A/W Nails

Revlon Brilliant Strength - Dominate

It's amazing how you can look for something for ages and not find it and then when you least expect it, it's there waiting for you. That's the story with this nail polish. We were in Poundland of all places and I decided to have quick look at their beauty products as I knew they sometimes stocked brands. And there sitting there was this beautiful mocha nail polish. 

I'd been looking for a brown nail polish for ages and it seemed that the only stockists where more expensive brands and I don't fancy paying more than a fiver for nail varnish especially when it's only going to get chipped. I thought that even it it wasn't great it didn't matter for a pound so headed off to the till to pay.

I had a quick look at it when I got home and applied some to my thumb nail it seamed to be a little watery and I thought it would take a lot of coats to get it opaque. How wrong I was it applied really easily and two coats were enough to create a thick glossy finish. I'm really pleased with how it looks and it's perfect for this time of year!

This post has been scheduled in advance as I am currently taking two months maternity leave from blogging to be with my baby. All comments will be answered in time, thank you in advance for being patient. 

[Food] Chicken Slice

There's nothing more comforting on a cold day than pastry. Oh how I love it. I've found myself with someone who isn't as keen on pastry as me (I blame my Cornish heritage) so we kept it thin on these where as I would have it much thicker and with a lot more vegetables inside. That's what is great about this recipe is that you can put anything you like inside. Add celery, potatoes or change up the meat, a tender beef would work so well!

 Served with roast potatoes veg and gravy these slices make a great alternative to a Sunday lunch. They would also go great in a packed lunch, just keep them chilled. I do love the edging on these and the next time I make a sweet pie I'm going to do them in this style. I was surprised at how well these stayed together considering I did over fill them slightly. Hey you can't blame me for trying to get more filling in can you? I think the secret is the beaten egg, it works so much better than milk and my mum always used to use an egg for glazing. It makes the pastry come out a beautiful golden colour. Perfect for an Autumn day!

Chicken Slice

- Makes 4, with freezable leftover filling - 

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

100g flour

400ml chicken stock

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 egg, beaten

Salt & pepper

225g plain flour

100g butter, cubed and fridge cold

pinch of salt

- First make the pastry. In a bowl of a food processor add the flour, butter and pinch of salt. Blend until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2-3 tbsps of water and pulse until a dough starts to form.

- Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes,

- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6 and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

- In a large pan, over a medium heat fry together the onion and carrots. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the onion are soft. 

- Season with salt and pepper. Add butter. cooked chicken and chicken stock. Simmer for a few minutes.

- Add the flour and mix well until a thick pie filling forms.

- Leave the pie mixture to cool while you roll out the pastry,

- Roll out the pastry 3cm thick and cut out 4 large rectangles. Cut those in half and set one aside, this will become your pie lid.

- Place a couple of spoonfuls into the middle of the pastry. Brush a little beaten egg around the outside of the pastry, this will help to seal the slice shut, 

- Place the pastry lid on top. Take a fork and press into the outside of the slice. Brush with more beaten egg and place on the baking tray.

- Follow this process for the other three slices. Any pie filling you have left can be frozen, once cooled, for up to a month.

- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

- Serve warm.

Adapted from Rachel Schultz Chicken Hand Pies

This post has been scheduled in advance as I am currently taking two months maternity leave from blogging to be with my baby. All comments will be answered in time, thank you in advance for being patient. 

[Fashion] Mustard Knit

[Jumper - Luxemme, Hat (similar here), Jeans (similar here), Boots (similar here) - New Look, Vest Primark]

Wow it's been a while since I did a fashion post especially without a big old bump sticking out. It's funny because when I was heavily pregnant I just wanted to be able to wear "normal" clothes again and now I miss having my bump. Weird because we are completely in love with Edith but having a bump was kinda nice. Haha, the things our bodies make us feel!

Anyway, I vowed that I wouldn't wear leggings for a while and I've stuck to that. I think I've lived in my jeans since a few days after having Edith. It's a great season to be able to wear nice clothes again as big cosy jumpers, boots and ripped jeans are totally my "thing". 

Growing up my mum and I would head into town every Saturday afternoon and it would always result in looking at clothes. I can remember my mum loving bright mustard tones and I told her I hated them (such a moody child haha) . My mum has always had a love for brighter colours and although I won't be embracing lime green ( a shade that suits her so well) I have ventured a little bit away from black.

This beautiful jumper is from the limited edition range on Luxemme and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it. Not only is it a gorgeous colour but it has the rips in it too. Oh the fun my brother and the Mr had telling me there was rips in it, like I've never had that joke before. It's a great piece as I can layer a vest top underneath which I have to do with breastfeeding. Layers are my best friend right now. 

These boots are beauties. I bought them for our works Christmas party 2 years ago and they've been sitting in my wardrobe for a while. They are pretty high and for running around in the day I don't think they'll be useful but for visiting my mama and other little trips out they are perfect, even if they do make me taller than the Mr. 

I finished the look with a hat. I do love a floppy hat and I still need to purchase a fedora. I'm pretty sure that as long as you have long hair you can pull a hat off! This outfit is just perfect for Autumn and I can see myself living in variations of it.

Happy Sunday folks!

Although the jumper was sent to me for my consideration, All opinions on the the product are my own. Read my disclaimer here. 

[Wedding] Budgeting

I was a little shocked and horrified to read that the average UK wedding costs over £20,000. That is crazy. You could put a deposit on a decent house around here for that money. £20,000. How are people spending that kind of money? And how are people affording it?

We got engaged over 3 years ago so in theory we've had a while to save but in all honesty we didn't start saving until May last year. I would put any spare money I had each month into my savings account. As I began to work more hours at work I then worked out how much money I would need every month and then save as much as I could. Each month I would save between £100- £400. When we found out I was pregnant we knew that we would have some big purchases to make so instead of stop saving for our wedding we had a huge clear out, which we needed to do for the nursery. Anything we didn't need anymore and we could sell we did, everything else went to charity or the tip!  

To us the most important aspect of the day is making the commitment to each other in front of our friends and family. That is the biggest thing, becoming husband and wife. Don't get me wrong I want things to look nice but I would sacrifice all of that and get married in my PJ's if that was the only way! 

We always knew that we wanted to do as much as we could ourselves, especially me, I am a control freak and having order over things was the only way it was going to happen. The beautiful venue we've hired is just a shell with tables and chairs and we are free to do whatever we like to it. This kept costs down a lot and meant we could personalise things and have them exactly how we want. The venue is our biggest expense but we are having everything there and have three days hire of it allowing us time to set up on the Friday and clear out on the Sunday. We've also had to pay slightly more to have the registrar come out to us but as the venue was reasonably priced it didn't make to much difference. 

At the time of writing this I don't have my dress. It's pretty much impossible trying to find one whilst being pregnant so as soon as baby's here I need to get shopping. I have tried some on before and know they are not cheap. I have a budget in mind and I'm going to stick to it. 

The best thing about booking a long time in advance means we've had time to collect things we need and pick things up cheaply. Our paper plates, doilies and a few other bits come from pound shops and we've collected enough jam jars between our families. Invites and all stationary for the day is easy enough to print ourselves and saves a fortune! We've asked a lot of our friends to help us out and utilise their talents, it really is about who you know. I would imagine that we've put a lot more effort into sourcing things than others that spend more as we try to keep costs down but this also allows us to question if we really need things or if there's another way of doing it.

Overall I would estimate that the total cost of our wedding will be around a quarter of the average (don't quote me on that!) as who knows what will happen. But all of the expense of the day will be paid for with our money. No taking out loans to pay for things, if we can't afford it then we won't be having it. 

I can't wait until the big day and I can't wait to share all of our DIY's and ideas with you. I'd love to hear how you kept to your wedding budget or any money saving ideas.

This post has been scheduled in advance as I am currently taking two months maternity leave from blogging to be with my baby. All comments will be answered in time, thank you in advance for being patient. 

[Drink] Vanilla Ice Cream Float

This drink brings back so many childhood memories. My sister used to make it when she was baby sitting us when my mum and dad went out. That is one of the great things about having an older sister, they can introduce you to things as delicious as this. I can remember begging her to make it every time and being amazed at how great it tasted. It became such a treat and I don't think I've had it since then which is a shame. I think they should be part of any good Saturday night in!

The combination of cola, which probably has to be my favourite drink and one of my only vices, and vanilla ice cream is just magical. The key is a good vanilla ice cream although I'm sure we used to use the cheapest we could find at the corner shop! The better the vanilla flavour the better drink. I really don't need to give you the recipe because you should probably know it and it's just as simple as putting a big scoop of ice cream into a glass of cola. 

You should make one tonight. No need to thank me!

This post has been scheduled in advance as I am currently taking two months maternity leave from blogging to be with my baby. All comments will be answered in time, thank you in advance for being patient. 

[Baby] Panda and the Sparrow #BabyGetCosy

Happy November! I can't believe the year has gone so quickly.

One of the many things I love about being a mama is cuddling up with Edith. Especially with the colder days, it's the perfect excuse to stay under the covers or cosy blankets. I do love this time of year (as does everyone it seems) it's not too cold that you turn blue but cold enough to break out the knitwear and accessorize with a scarf or two. We're planning on spending this season getting cosy and we're doing that with this beautiful Panda and the Sparrow set.

How cute is the logo? The set is so incredibly soft which is perfect against Edith's delicate skin. It's made from bamboo, which is a weird thing for a fabric to be made from but it's as soft as cashmere and boy does it feel it. I would love a set in my size too! The fabric is extremely clever and keeps baby warm when it's colder and cooler when it's warmer, I was a little bit impressed by this! 

If you want to get cosy too, you can find the top here and leggings here! 

#BabyGetCosy

Although the set was sent to me for my consideration, All opinions on the the product are my own. Read my disclaimer here.