True Words...

Ava's Epic Adventure...

An adventure, of the epic variety, is some great journey that a person takes, within which they overcome hurdles, defeat those who stand in their way, and stay focused despite distractions. It is usually long, and there is usually a goal or prize at the end.

Yesterday, Ava and I went on one such adventure.

It was 2.45pm; Ava was refreshed from her nap and had just restored her energy supplies with her beaker and clementine. We packed our bags... Mine, a satchel which hung over the end of her buggy. Hers, her ladybird 'Käfer' bag with reins.

The goal? To reach the post office and post four letters.

The challenge? Ava was going to walk.

This might sound like a small feat to all you seasoned adventurers, but for my 17 month old daughter, this was a journey of epic proportions... But she was up for it. With a smile and a look in her eye that clearly couldn't quite believe Mama had 'let her loose', we set off, armed with further supplies of water and clementine which sat in pride of place in her empty buggy.

The hurdles were many: cries of 'windig!' (Windy!) as the wind took her breath away and caused that little face to screw up all tight, trees that could not be resisted and had to be touched, road signs, bollards and lamp-posts that had to be thoroughly investigated, dogs walking in the opposite direction, away from us, were particularly distressing... But we kept going, stopping every ten metres or so to reenergise ourselves with a piece of clementine and a sip of water.

The highlight, of course, was the crossing of the main road where a little person delightedly pressed the button and waited patiently, holding Mama's hand, for the green man to tell us it was safe to go. At last, we reached our destination, and Ava posted the letters with an enthusiasm that belied the perilous journey she had just survived. She had a look of utter satisfaction and pride on that little face of hers. The usual 5 minute walk had taken us a mere 45 minutes!

The reward (as much for Mama as baby!) was a stop in a little cafe where Mama had a much needed cup of tea, and Ava a small piece of toasted baguette with butter. It was divine!

The return journey was similarly perilous, with only a short tantrum 30 metres from home from a little girl who was too tired to walk anymore, but also didn't want to get into her buggy. There was crying, stomping of feet, sitting stubbornly down on the muddy pavement, and cries of 'bitte, Mama' as she held her arms up to be carried, but to no avail. (This is where it is good that mama is just as stubborn as Ava...!) Eventually, the little girl was persuaded with the promise of an episode of Caillou when we got home if she would sit in her buggy without a fuss. No more fuss was made and we made it home - windswept and tired, but alive and invigorated by the journey.

We had survived and live to tell the tale.

Phew.

A little business update!

Thanks so much to all of you who liked my new "Facebook Page" for my little business yesterday! It's quite exciting to finally have things up and running, and I'm beavering away at some springtime delights (and willing the weather to turn springtime too!!)

Here's a little taste of what's coming...

Scandinavian lace and burlap pillar candles - £4.50 each

More fabric notice boards - each one unique. I am happy to take orders on these as well, if you have something specific in mind. 30x40cm. £10 each. (If commissioned there is a small additional cost)

Still churning out the children's aprons! A variety of fabric options. Machine washable and suitable for age 0-5.

 £6

Wooden hanging signs with a variety of messages... £3.50 each.

Quirky and cute message frames. A variety of messages. £5 each.

If you haven't like it already, and want updates of any new stock, please click onto my Facebook page here and "like"! Or you can follow me on Twitter... @HomemadeHutte

Alternatively, you can go straight to my Etsy shop and make some purchases!!! ;-)

Thanks for all your support!

Welcome baby pie!

These past two weeks, a couple of my lovely friends have had their second babies... (trying extremely hard not to wish away the next 5 weeks!) I was on food duty on Saturday for one of them and couldn't resist being a bit creative with the mince and onion pie I made (AMAZING Jamie Oliver recipe - we love it!)

Welcome to the world Joel and Isaac!

Taking the hint...

Some people call it "baby brain"... I think it's just an excuse I can use when I do something stupid or forget something of vital importance. Whether you believe in it or not, my daughter seems to think I have a serious case of it at the moment as she feels the need to "remind" me to do certain things.

On Wednesday she looked at me with confusion as I tucked into my breakfast as she sat there patiently waiting. It was only when she shouted "amen!" that I realised she was reminding me to pray!

This morning (why is it always breakfast?) she decided the house was looking a bit of a mess. As I was merrily clearing away the breakfast dishes, she had gone to the downstairs cupboard, got out the Hoover and brought it to her high chair (underneath which was a serious amount of leftover toast and scrambled egg)...

The worst part is, yesterday she hinted at something so obvious it made me laugh out loud.... But I can't remember what it was.

Oh dear! I'm a hopeless case!

At least I have my daughter to keep me organised!

Funny faces...

This week, Ava has discovered the joy of pulling funny faces...

This is her current favourite...

I can't help but chuckle every time I see it!

What a funny bunny!

Off to meet the Gruffalo...

We are HUGE Julia Donaldson fans in our house... they are Ava's favourite books by a long way; she will sit and look at them for ages, and will often choose one out to be read to her...

So you can imagine our excitement when we discovered (thankyou Caroline!) that "The Gruffalo" is being read at Rhymetime at the library today, with a special guest appearance (...wonder who that will be?!!)

Someone's rather excited!

Photo's to follow!!

Anyone have a recommended favourite Donaldson book? Ava's favourites are "The Gruffalo" and "Monkey Puzzle" at the moment!

Ordinary days...

Football in the garden... and finally getting rid of the tree...

Working my way through my Kindle list...

Evidence of our sickly weekend...

Snow fun...

Bags packed, and ready to go (6 weeks and counting!)

Hoping your ordinary days are fun-filled! 

xxx

Project Ava's Room: It's finished!!!

This weekend, we finally made the big move! Ava has moved from her little nursery into her own big girl bedroom. We were delayed by one night because the poor thing has been suffering with an ear infection, and we didn't want to rock the boat until that had settled down, but she's now spent two nights in her new room and seems to be settling well (the first night she cried a bit when we put her to bed, but nothing the second night - phew!)

We managed to come in under budget by being a bit creative and doing some of the little touches ourselves... the tree mural came in free because I used paint we already had, and wallpaper samples for the leaves. The lampshade (left) was a cheap white lampshade from Homebase that I've had for years that I glue-gunned buttons onto, the notice board was a homemade affair (check out my shop here if you're interested in buying one!)

The chest of drawers - IKEA - £100
Storage boxes and shelves (that I haven't put up yet) - IKEA - £22
Blind (B and Q) - £15
GRAND TOTAL - £137

So here we go... the big "reveal" moment! There are still a few finishing touches I need to do - hang up her notice board, put a shelf up and put a few nails in the wall for hanging things, but for the most part its done and I'm really pleased with the result... she seems to be enjoying it too!

Ava loves her "Baum" (tree) and still says "Oh wow!" every time she walks into the room!!

Bigging up the woodland theme!

I made the teddy just before Ava was born, and it matches perfectly with the colour scheme...  the lamp was a button and glue gun jobby and the notice board was a Homemade Huette design!

Simple and fresh - I'm so glad we went for that green when we decorated 2 years ago!

Cosy and girly 

Love these classics - can't wait to read them to my girly!

So there you have it... as you can see - someone is enjoying her new room...

Enjoying her toys...

...and sleeping well too! After a 2 and a half hour nap, we went in, opened her blinds and curtains and chatted in her room before finally singing to wake her!! Seems she's dreaming sweetly under her tree!

All with a lovely view of the snow we've been enjoying!

... now just to sort out the nursery for Bubba 2 (thankfully just a simple deep clean and tidy up job!)

Phew!

Savouring the moment...

I have been working a bit more this week, trying to squeeze in all my hours before I go on maternity leave again. I do love teaching; the children were very sweet and hardworking and are beginning to get quite excited about our imminent arrival. But I love it when the weekend swings round and I know I have 5 whole days with my Ava M. She is such a little bundle of joy and chatters away now in all three languages. It still doesn't cease to amaze me how much she has picked up. This morning, I was up in the bathroom brushing my teeth, while she was down in the hallway waiting for me at the stair gate and I could see her trying to reach her coat. "Jacke" (the German word for coat) she repeated 3 times before then saying "coat" on repeat in English another three times. Amazing.

I love savouring those sweet little moments... Hearing her chatter to herself, watching her play, enjoying bedtime snuggles. I know that in no time she will be grown up and I'll be struggling to remember these little details, so I'm doing my level best to store 'em up and keep 'em safe.

I do love that Girly...

PS Ava's bedroom will be revealed in all its glory on Monday (!!)... I just have a few finishing touches to make and plan to have her sleeping in there tomorrow night... Eek! Exciting!

Tears on the road...

I have been so overwhelmed by your support this past couple days. It's so easy to allow everything to do with this pregnancy to become so big in my head and to assume the worst... that there will be something wrong with the baby, the fear of hemorrhaging and what that might mean for me, the risk of cord prolapse...

Yesterday as I drove to school, I had the first bit of space I've had since Monday. Alone time. Can be wonderful; can be dangerous. Its the time when your thoughts can take over, and your fears have time to grow in your head.

As I drove the ten minute journey, I guess you could say I went on a bit of a different kind of journey. Everything I had been told by the Consultant, everything I knew about Polyhydramnios just built up into this huge tidal wave that threatened to drown me. The worse case scenario suddenly loomed like some giant, impossible monster over me and I felt scared... for myself, but for my husband, and my children...

What if we lose this child?
What if we have to learn to adjust to life with a child with a disability?
What if I don't survive? Will Ava forget me? This baby will never know me?

Morbid thoughts, I know... but as I said, the anxiety took over, and as the tears flowed down my face I did what I should have been doing all along. I gave it back to God.

I cannot describe the sweet peace that comes from knowing the Saviour.

Those tears of fear turned to tears of sweet relief as I felt Him saying to me "You are in my hands. I will not let you drown in this"

And then the radio changed tunes and this song started playing... I was driving my Mum's car and she had the local christian radio station on and it literally spoke to me. I do not know the song, I don't know what it was called, I've never heard it before, but it was based on Zephaniah 3:17 which says...

The Lord your God is with you
The Mighty Warrior who saves

And I knew that sudden peace which he promises in Phillipians 4...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God is so incredibly good and I know, with absolute conviction, that I do not need to fear, because he has it all in his hands. Nothing can come upon us, nothing can happen that is outside of his control. That means that whatever happens, he will give us the strength and the ability to keep going, to lean heavier on him, to rejoice come what may.

I pray you know him too, because there is nothing so precious as having someone to whom I can give all my burdens...

Thank you Father.

On big babies, extra scans and polyhydramnios...

On Monday, we had the latest scan to check the growth of Bubba 2... for those of you who haven't caught all the info, Bubba was picked up as being on the large side at my 20 week scan. Ever since then we have been on an adventure of multiple scans, repetative gestational diabetes tests and amniotic fluid-watch.

So here's the latest.

Bubba is looking fit and well, is head down (finally - pray it stays there!!) and is happily growing along the 97th centile line. They are predicting a 9lbs 5oz baby at the moment... we'll see. I'm just glad this isn't my first! But all in all, it seems baby is fine. This has been the hugest answer to prayer...

However, the latest complication is that I have now been diagnosed with having "Polyhydramnios". This basically means I'm carrying an above average amount of amniotic fluid. And every time I go back for another scan, it seems my body has produced even more. The consultant has said it seems my Polyhydramnios has no cause... they have ruled out everything they can and seem unconcerned about the baby. It just means a closely monitored pregnancy and a very closely monitored labour as chances of cord prolapse and hemorrhaging are higher. They are confident, however, that as they are on the case, there will be no issues.

The consultant has been great, but if I'm honest, it doesn't make the whole thing less scary. My pregnancy with Ava was about as textbook as they come, and my labour (water-birth) was so straightforward. The prospect of drips and monitoring and possible emergency caesarians and other complications scares me. But I know that God is good, that he has never failed me in his faithfulness and that I can trust him completely.

Please remember us, and our little one, in your prayers as we run the final stretch (7 weeks to go...)

Project Ava's Room: The Mural

Well, this past weekend, I finally got to do the bit of the room I was most looking forward to... Ava's mural! I had my heart set on painting a tree in her room and used the tree murals from Pinterest as my inspiration... I like the colour combo of the green tree down the right, but preferred the shape and form of the brown tree top centre... so I mixed it up and had a go...

and this is what happened...

First, I drew an outline on the wall with pencil to show the form of the tree... I tried to take a picture so I could post it, but the pencil was so light, I couldn't get a picture that showed the whole tree... so I decided to skip that and skip straight to the fun part - the painting!

We had half a tin of the green paint that we had used on the chimney breast in her room left over, so this really was a dirt cheap (well, actually free!) project.

 I had great fun going to town on the tree itself! Excuse the mess in the room... it is a bit of a tip while we try and get ourselves organised! After painting the tree on Friday night, we hit the local hardware shop in search of some leaves... AKA wallpaper samples. I raided the aisles tearing off little pieces here and there that I thought might work with the colour scheme... the store lady told me to take as much as I liked - so I didn't feel bad doing it!

When I got home, we had a quick Skype chat with my sis in Australia, and Dave headed off to football, while Ava headed up for her nap. I sat myself down on the sofa with a cup of tea, my wallpaper samples, a pair of scissors and "Julie and Julia" (a movie I recorded over Christmas) and started drawing round my templates and cutting out 40 or so leaves...

 It was then time to arrange. I grabbed a big wadge of blue tac, and got to work attaching them to the branches... I did it with blue tac first, so that I had the option of moving some around (which I did end up doing) until I was happy with the end result...

Voila...

VERY happy with the result (literally beaming from ear-to-ear, jumping up and down happy)... all I need to do now is actually paste them on with good old wallpaper paste... my next challenge!!

Double bed is heading off this evening, so hoping to have Ava in her new room by the end of the week... Eek!!!

More updates to follow...

Project Ava's Room: The Plan...

'Scuse the drawing in pen... Here's a sketch of the plan... down the right hand side I've made a list of all I need... I'm hoping to get a chest of drawers for £100 and spend no more than £40 absolute tops (on storage, decorative bits, materials and resources...) Let's see how we go!

The potty diaries: part 2

I have been questioned and questioned over the past week about our potty training fun! And seeing as I'm busy working on Ava's new room, but not in a place to show you all yet, I thought I'd give you a little Friday update before the weekend!

We have the number 2 department nailed. With the exception of one incident (which was TOTALLY my fault - she told me she needed the potty and I ignored her... convinced she couldn't possibly need it again! I felt AWful...) As I was saying, with the exception of that incident, I have not had a dirty nappy in over a week. Tell you what, it is SO nice not to be dealing with those nappies anymore (I know, I'll be back to square one with the next one in less than 8 weeks! I'm making the most of it!)

However, we're still a long way from nailing the number one department.... It seems at 16 months, Ava doesn't quite have the control to communicate she needs to go and let me get her there in time. Resulting in a lot of "oh no!", "oh dears!" and "uh-oh's", a huge pile of wet washing and a rather frazzled Mama. So we have decided to step back from the intensive training, keep the positive relationship with the potty and put it on the back burner for a few months before we try again in the summer... I'm not giving up entirely. I will still put her on the potty every time she tells me she wants to go, and I'll still stick her on it first thing and last thing (which are generally our successful times.) The intensive training was getting a little much, especially when I'm just not sure her little body is physically capable yet.

Still, I have NO regrets about giving it a go. We are now totally clean, if not dry, and Ava loves the potty so it's been a really positive experience that I would definitely do early with the next one too.

Thanks for all your encouragement and cheering on... We're going for a more relaxed approach now, but the potty will still be a part of our daily life whenever she asks for it!

PS - after posting this, this morning, our previous Pastor, John, forwarded me this article he discovered... apparently it will solve all our potty problems!!

Introducing the new iPotty! Click on the picture to read Apple's latest invention!!

Thanks John!!

Project Ava's Room: Phase 1: Ideas and Inspiration...

We are SO unbelievably blessed with the development of the internet etc when it comes to getting inspiration for the home... of course, that blessing can become a curse if, at times, you find yourself dissatisfied with what you have because you are spying all these beautiful homes on Pinterest/blogs/online shops, so its good to keep a rain-check on yourself when you find yourself spending too many hours browsing your dream home. Pinterest has been a brilliant discovery for me, though, because there are so many brilliantly creative people out there, with brilliantly creative ideas which I can "magpie" (the nice term of phrase for steal...)

So here we go, some things to consider/questions to ask when you're about to do a spot of decorating and want to keep within a low budget...

1) What do we need to do in terms of decorating? This is not "what do I want to do?" Those two questions are very different. Ava has spent the first year and a half of her life in a neutral nursery - blue and green to be precise - because we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl. This is the first room we are doing for her as a girl's room. I could go to town and decide I want to have the whole room painted one of those gorgeous shabby chic pink colours that cost 16.95 for a small pot. It would be beautiful. It would be girly. It would also be a complete waste of money. Work out what you need to do - in our case, green and cream can very easily be accessorized with pink to make a gorgeous girly room, so there really is no need to repaint...

2) What do we need in terms of furniture? Similar to above, the temptation is to go all out - buy that beautiful antique wooden toy chest, and the cute rocking chair, and the toddler bed... but again, when you're on a budget, you've got to be practical. What furniture do I need? Ava needs a chest of drawers, for example... the one she currently has will stay in the nursery to be used by the new baby, so she needs something to store her clothes in (there is a mini wardrobe in the room, but it will not provide the storage needed). Then look at what you have - can I up-cycle, re-do or refurb anything? We had a lovely bookcase in the guest room that will do just fine for all her books...

3) What's my colour scheme? This is pretty key to decide before you go shopping and buy all these beautiful things and get home and realise none of them work together. I am a BIG fan of simple decor. The simpler the better. The walls throughout our house are almost exclusively white/cream, with the exception of one of our bedroom walls, and the chimney breast in the guest room. A blank canvas is the perfect place for accessorizing, and it leaves lots of freedom for constant re-modeling without needing to decorate! Ava's new room is cream with a green chimney breast... I intend to add some pink accessories into the mix and love this colour palate as a bit of Pinspiration...

4) What's my theme? With kids rooms, particularly, there is something nice about having a theme, but I think its helpful in general to have a phrase you want to stick to... it helps you keep focussed and create a room that really works together...
For example...

When we were doing the lounge, I was thinking "simple Scandinavian style"...

This was one of the first photos we took after re-decorating, hence no pics on the wall etc!

When we re-did the bathroom, it was more "vintage country cottage"...

So, after much umming and aahing, and quite a lot of "I really just want to paint a tree mural on her wall", my theme this time is "Girly Woodland Wonderland"... here's my inspiration board!!

Perhaps slightly over-ambitious!! But that's what inspiration is for... getting ideas and adapting them! We'll see!

Ava's new room: a new project!

Haha! If only... No, this is not Ava's new room... its one of the pictures I love on Pinterest, but I'm not sure I'm quite up to that standard of beautifying a room!

Everyone loves a good old-fashioned room reveal... I'm utterly in awe of those bloggers who seem to have some constant home improvement project on the go and always have 2 big questions...

1) Where do they get the money for these constant projects?
2) Where do they get the time?

I LOVE to have projects like that on the go... but unfortunately we do not have a never-ending bucket of money, nor do we have a house big enough for there to be constant rooms to improve, nor do I have the time, or energy, at present to do such a thing.

And I'm kinda glad about that, because it means when we do need to do some "home improving"/re-decorating, I'm raring to go because its a bit of a novelty.

Ava's moving.

No, I'm not packing my 16-month-old off to the wide world. She is moving a grand total of about 2 metres down the hall from the little bedroom to the guest room...

And I'm SOOOOO excited!

The last room we did up was when I attacked our bathroom while Dave was in Germany last April (you can check that adventure out here...)

Again, we're not going to splash any major cash, and we (thankfully) don't need to redecorate. The room was re-plastered and decorated when we moved into the house (2 1/2 years ago) and its a neutral cream and pretty green, so girl-friendly...

Here's some pics of how it looks now - the before shots... (apologies for the pictures... the light wasn't so good and I took them in the evening - never a good plan)

This bed has been the most amazing blessing. We borrowed it from friends of ours and will be sad to see it go! Isn't it pretty? And its SO incredibly comfy...

I love our little wardrobe in the corner - its a converted larder cupboard that I picked up in an antique shop - just the right size for a little girl...

I love this room. It is simple, and plain and clear of clutter. We will be sad to say goodbye to our guest room, but I'm so excited to transform it into a little girls haven. 

With the exception of the bed, the furniture in the room is pretty much staying put...

So, over the next couple of weeks, I'll be revealing our attack on this room - bit by bit - until the transformation is complete. We want to have Ava moved in at least a month before Baby arrives, so she has time to adjust to her new environment.

Only 8 weeks to go, and counting...

Watch this space!

A busy night...

Thanks so much to all of you who purchased something in the run-up to Christmas. I appreciate your support so much as I set up this little business!

Post-Christmas, having sold pretty much all of my Christmas Stock, I have been busy beavering away getting some new ideas ready for the springtime!

One of my pressies was a brand new sewing machine, which should make my life a little easier!!!

Here's a little insight into what I've been up to... feel free to browse and contact me on the contacts page if there's anything you like the look of!

Check out my store here for more products!