A Blog Clean Up And Some Home Sprucing.....

Well today I'm sorting through my blog and cleaning it up. I'm finding there's too much going on here and I want to simplify it before bub comes so I don't feel as if I have a hundred categories I need to keep up with. So I have removed the 'Things I learnt today' page as well as the 'Recipes' page. I've found that lately these two pages aren't getting any time and I haven't posted anything on them in forever so while I'll continue to share thoughts and inspiration of things I learn in life it'll just be in a regular post. The same for the recipes, I just haven't had time to update lately and I haven't been baking much lately either. However since finding out I have gestational diabetes I have found some good brekky and lunch recipes I'll share with you. I also need to get int touch with my cousin Nikki to see what in the world is happening with The Travelling Diary.

As for the rest of the day, well we've gone from sunshine early in the week to wet, wild windy storms the last two days. It's as if winter is trying to make a return, one no one seems to want though....even though it got quite warm last week I was enjoying the warm weather and loooking forward to heading down the beach. Bec kind of put a spanner in the works there as she had gastro all weekend so we didn't go anywhere. The weather is supposed to clear by the weekend but then we're supposed to be back to showers by midweek next week.....it's all too weird for me. So because it's cold, wet and windy I am home sprucing up a bit. A ton of washing has been folded and put away, my desk has been tidied up and dusted, the kitchen has been thoroughly cleaned and next it's onto the bathroom.

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How I'm wishing my folded laundry looked today....

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My Dream bathroom...I've pinned this from pinterest and I can't say for sure but it looks very much like the bathroom that Sarah Richardson designed in one of her houses she renovated.....I love these curtains...

My desk and a place in the house I love...it's not fancy but it's me and it's what works...

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Who wouldn't want to cook up a storm in this french country kitchen...I know I would..

Well enough dreaming of the perfect house tucked away in France somewhere I'm off to finish my sprucing up and make this place look as clean, fresh and french as I can...if we weren't renting soooo much would be done by now.......take care and I'll be back soon...Au revoir for now...xo

Michelle








 

A Change Of Habits....

Bonjour mon ami's and how are you all doing today? So far the start to the week has been a quiet one after Bec's bout of gastro over the weekend. I've just been plodding around home cleaning, washing, shopping, the usual things I do at the start of the week as well as implenting a few new changes to my routine.

 

Yesterday morning not long after walking in the door with all the food shopping I got a call from my new doctor (she'll be delivering bub) to inform me I have gestational diabetes. Great!! Not!!...In some ways I'm not too surprised as when I was doing the GTT test last week I started feeling queasy, tired and a little headachy. I've had this test before over the years and never had these symptoms come up but due to a strong family history of late onset diabetes I have the knowledge of symptoms and what to look for. So while it's a bit of a concern I'm not completely surprised by it. Now it's a case of changing the diet, monitoring sugar levels and getting some exercise.

 

Patched up after the blood test last week...

 

Now I get to prick my finger each morning to monitor sugar levels...

 

I must have known something over the weekend because on Friday night I decided to join up and do Michelle Bridges' 12WBT Pregnancy Program. Right from Saturday morning I started eating healthier and cleaned out the fridge and cupboards of any unhealthy food that was left and bought a few things for over the weekend til I did my normal shop on Monday. So far the food is great and tasty and keeping me fuller longer, so I'm very happy with that. I am determined to keep my sugar levels under control and where they should be as there are risks for bub and for me if I don't. I've been reading up on gestational diabetes {here} and the problems having diabetes during pregnancy can cause are a little worrying but I'm sure if I keep everything in check all will go well and I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow who I'm sure will give me more info.

 

So yesterday morning marked the start of the full start of the 12wbt program so I got up early and did my exercise then had a healthy breakfast, all before Bec was out of bed thank goodness. Today I got up a little late and though Bec was 'only trying to help' she didn't make it easy for me to get my exercise in while she was up and about so I will have to make sure I do it either early in the morning or when she has her afternoon nap from now on.

 

This is a great, easy 30 min workout for all fitness levels.....

 

I actually bought this dvd years ago and have been super spasmodic with it but after doing it yesterday I felt like I had more energy and lasted the day alot better too. Also since changing my eating just from Saturday morning on I have lost almost a kilo!!...Now I'm not dieting to lose weight as that is unhealthy to do while pregnant but I believe just from removing cool drink, sugary foods, take away etc it has made a difference already. Also my feet were swelling up alot lately but I've noticed this morning, even after exercising, they're back to normal and not puffy at all....I will be questioning the doctor on this to see if the change of diet is what's helped with less swelling. Tomorrow is a rest or cardio day in my program and while I have a few appointments I must attend I'm thinking I'll try and get some laps in at the pool before I need to pick Bec up from Bumble Bee.

 

Well I'm off to make Bec some lunch as she's telling me she's starving to death...kids are so dramatic...lol....and it's a salmon and cottage cheese wrap for me..yum....so keep well, take care of yourself and I'll be back soon....xo

 

Michelle

 

A Late Night Washing Expedition....

Well it's 1:03am here in lil ol' sleepy Busselton yet I'm wide awake but dying to go to sleep. So why am I up you ask? Well it's like this. Today was pretty much the usual routine of Chris going to work, Bec and I getting up later than I planned, some research into a project I'm working on, Chris home early from work......you get the general idea. All was going well until dinner time, we opted for pizza tonight as it's a Friday, so lazy night, only to have our little Miss Bec refuse to eat her dinner. Now she loves pizza and never turns it down but tonight it all tasted 'disgusting' apparently. So we didn't push her because we know if she's not eating then something is up.

 

Sure enough just before midnight as I was almost asleep I heard a weird moan from her room. Chris and I got up to go check on her and as I opened the door and turned on the light there she is my poor girl sitting in a pool of vomit!! Chris picked her up and took her straight to the bathroom to clean her up and lucky me got to strip the bed...hmmm...who really got the better deal here?? Neither of us are good with vomit as it makes us want to throw up too but I am just a tad better with it than Chris. So I stripped the bed and got the sheets straight in the washing machine. Now when I was younger and stupider i would have left them til the morning to wash them but time has taught me that is a really BAD IDEA!!! Thankfully so far she has just thrown up the once and we got her cleaned up quick but however she's sleeping on her Dora couch in her room as she went right through to the mattress, so that is outside in the night air waiting to be hosed down tomorrow.

 

So once we got Bec settled and back down I decided I was going to have to stay up and wait for the washing to finish so I could get it on the line as I really didn't want it sitting around wet all night. Chris decided he'd 'lay down' and wait for the washing and I'm sure you can guess what happened....yep he fell asleep. So now he's asleep, Bec and Luke are asleep and it's just me up. I've just put the last of the washing on the line and now I'm going to try and get some sleep....boy am I glad I live in a town where it's safe enough to peg the washing out at 1:30am on a Friday night.

 

 Bec finally asleep...Gastro season has begun...

Washing out late tonight or quite early this morning depending on how you look at it....

 

So goodnight my friends or good morning where ever you may be, I'm off to catch a few zzzz's before the next round of vomiting, though I'm really hoping there won't be any...take care, sleep well and I'll catch you all soon...xo

 

Michelle

 

 

A Taste Of Summer Heat....

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So this is where I'd love to be sitting today...with a Pina Colada...

 

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Or having a swim here....I have a thing for lakes...

 

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Or an evening stroll here....

 

In case you hadn't noticed I have summer on the brain today and that's probably because it's been a warm 30 degrees here in Busselton....And yes I know some of you may be think 30 is not that warm... but when it comes out of no where it sure is.....only a couple of weeks ago we were still getting rain and cold mornings, now it feels as if it's 40!! well to me it does....and I think it's going to be a long hot summer until this baby is born, so I could be spending ridiculous amounts of time at the beach keeping cool. I hate being overheated even when I'm not pregnant and if today is anything to go by it's going to be a nightmare keeping cool......thank goodness we live on top of the beach and get an early sea breeze...

 

I actually really love summer (apart from the extreme heat) and being down the beach and the feeling of the cool water on hot skin. Mostly it takes me back to my childhood and memories of the whole family being at the beach together and my Pop telling us to have fun but don't get too silly screaming in the water because the lifeguards might think we're in trouble.....I was always the first one in and the last one out, I still am the last one out of the water even now....I even out do the kids.

 

Chris and I spent a lovely couple of hours down the beach on the weekend and it was so nice just enjoying that time together alone....I'm also looking forward to going down to Meelup as it's one of my most favourite beaches ever.

 

Bec, Chris and me at Meelup in January this year....Will be quite a few trips there before the little man comes along....

 

I hope you're all having a lovely day where ever you may be and are enjoying the weather....I'm off to get Bec from Bumble Bee so I'll talk to you all soon....take care and Au revoir for now.....xo

 

Michelle

To Soften Or Not To Soften....?..That Is The Question...

For years when I've bought new towels I've been told by the sales assistant not to add Fabric Softener to the wash as it makes the towels go stiff and hard and therefore feels like sand paper on your skin. Well I don't know where they get their information from but I have to say I totally disagree with their theory.

I have always added fabric softener to my washing as I love the way it leaves the towels, sheets and clothes with that fresh smell, especially when I have no choice but to use the dryer in winter. And in summer when the washing has been out on the line for a few hours it has that added freshness to it from drying in the sun and the fresh air. My towels especially have always felt soft and fresh after washing and it makes me long for a shower so I can use them, I actually forgot to put the fabric softener in last week and the towels were so stiff and rough I couldn't believe it.

I guess it's one of those things that's a personal choice but for me I will continue to add fabric softener to all my laundry, especially towels and linen, there's nothing nicer at the end of the day than having a shower with a fresh washed soft towel, then climbing in to bed with fresh linen that's been on the line in the fresh air, ahh how I love that smell.

My whites getting whiter on a beautiful sunny day and such a lovely fresh smell when I put them on the bed last night.....Definitely a fabric softener house here...

 

Fresh, clean, fluffy white towels....got to love them..

With my wonderful husband's help I freshened up our bedroom a little this weekend too. It never ceases to amaze me how a small change can make such a big impact. When we moved in here there were curtains already hanging that the owner had put up and I have to say they are a right royal pain in the butt. I was informed we were allowed to take her curtains down, pack them away and hang our own curtains if we wanted to. Well after six months I finally had enough and got Chris to help me hang our curtains Sunday morning and now the room feels fresher than ever.

Our room with the curtains that were already here...

Our room today with my lovely green cutains hanging...there's something about green and white that's fresh....the best pic I could get witht the light today...

So how about you, do you use fabric softener or go without? What's the one thing you use that makes your house fresh that you couldn't live without?

 

Our Weekend And Some Good Finds...

Bonjour mon ami's, well we're half way through another week already and it's starting to warm up outside down here in little old Busselton....I'm actually starting to dread the heat while being pregnant...I'm thinking lots of swimming is going to be had or I'm going to be unbearable to live with....oh well you get that.

 

As most of you know we went to Perth this weekend so Luke could attend his Dad's wedding and over all the weekend went pretty well....the weather was good, the drive up was smooth, Chris and I actually got a few hours to ourselves on Saturday as his mum had the girls, so we took a trip to Carousel Shopping Centre and got some bargains and we got home reasonably early in the day on Sunday. However this is definitely our last trip to Perth until well after Bub is born.

 

The clouds on the way to Perth looked as if someone had been painting in the sky...

 

The kids on the back seat on the way up and Miss Eva being a total Diva as usual...

 

My boy Luke all scrubbed up for his Dad's wedding....cleans up good if I do say so myself...

 

I found these cute birds and they are hanging in the perfect place now...

 

I was no sooner home Sunday and I was zhooshing the house with the birds and my desk with the two new love heart tins....one for pencils and one for cards...apparently these are tealight candle holders but I thought I'd improvise....

 

I couldn't go past getting this little cushion for bub...

 

Monday I made a trip to Bunbury to get some more fabric and because I had a few errands to run up there and while doing my errands I just happened to come across these goodies....

 

I saw these cute as flannels for $3 a pack in Kmart and thought 'yep I'll grab these they're cute and I love them,' then when I went through the check out they came up at $0.05c..!! Can you believe it...5 cents for the pack....if it wasn't so crowded I would have run back and got some more...

 

I've been looking for an album to start for bub and I came across this one in Target and loved it...

 

I also thought I'd pop into Strandbags as I was in desperate need of a new bag and purse and found both of these for half price....Even Chris was impressed with the bargains I found...I love this bag and I've actually for once found a purse I can fit all my cards in...

 

Today I've added a couple more details to home in the way of zhooshing but I'll share that another day....Tomorrow will be a day of sewing for YuppyBubby and general tidying up....All this walking around on my feet for long periods is really starting to make them swell now...so feet up, stay home and do the fun stuff before I'm completely unable to bend any more....

 

So Home, Love & Life friends I'm off for now as I have a few things to do before picking kids up from school and Bumble Bee, so have a good day and I'll be back soon.....take care and Au revoir..xo

 

 

Fridays Photography Revived.....

Bonjour mon ami's, I hope you're all happy it's Friday....I sure am but it means a trip to Perth I'd rather not be making...We're taking Luke to Perth for his Dad's wedding, I can think of better ways to spend my weekend but we're doing it for Luke and he appreciates it....

 

Any how, yesterday I promised I would be reviving something I had neglected....and as you can see from the post title it's Fridays Photography....The last photography post I did was back in April right before we moved (Fridays Photography Post 12)... I can't believe it got away from me for so long. I enjoy my Fridays Photography as it gives me a reason to get out and see what's around me and share what I find....I only realised I hadn't done one for so long when I was looking back through some older posts....

Todays post is just a quick one though as I'm on limited time this morning to get everything done before we leave here by 1pm for a three hour drive....aye..the things we do for our kids....oh well. Obviously these pics are not from today because I'm still in my dressing gown at 6:32am and don't have time to get out but I thought I'd share a couple of pics from the last couple of weeks of instagramming......Enjoy...

Loving my sewing machine as I have been sewing up a storm on it for YuppyBubby...

Our chooks finally started laying a few weeks ago and are going nice and steady each day...

Three Burping Cloths I made yesterday for bub....I have two more for YuppyBubby waiting to be put together on Monday...

And the nicest surprise I've had all week was walking outside and finding my iceberg blooming away....My all time favourite white rose....

So there you have it just a bit of what I've been up to lately around home....Next week I'll have something a little different to show you.....So I hope you all have a great weekend with lots of fun and I'll be back asap.....Perth is not my most favourite place to go so I may even get a quick post in while I'm there as I'm taking the laptop with me....Au revoir for now and take care....xo

Michelle

Pampering With Difficulty....

Bonjour mon ami's and how are we all today?? So far here the sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky and I'm hoping it stays that way for a few days as we've had a cold and wet start to November.

 

So anyhow last night after a looong day I decided to go have a nice long hot shower to de-stress and relax while hubby did a workout. Have you ever just needed to soak in the tub or stand under a hot shower...?? I'm sure most of you have at some point and that's exactly what I did, I stood under a lovely hot shower and just relaxed (our tub is just way too low for me to get in and out of now).....though it is a little hard to relax when you're pregnant and standing in one place for a long time leads to sore feet eventually.....so I tend to shuffle from foot to foot.

 

I washed my hair with my fave shampoo and conditioner (will tell you which one soon), cleansed my face with a scrub I couldn't live without and did the rest (will not give details here hehe) with a lovely body wash. Then just stood and let the water run.....I'm one of these people that really doesn't care how long I take in the shower when I have time to take as long as I want. At our old house we were on storage water system so you had between 10-15 minutes before you lost all hot water....very frustrating when you have a head full of shampoo...!! However we're now on instant hot water and I love it......So anyhoo with all that done I looked down and realised my legs really needed shaving...hmm dilemma....it's getting hard enough to bend over to pick up something off the floor let alone shave my legs...but I don't like being in pants all the time and am dying to get back into my dresses....so an attempt at shaving the legs it was......

 

Now I had to navigate how I was going to do this as I would usually do it while in the shower but last time I did I almost slipped over and ended up with a sore back so a more practical idea was needed now I'm getting bigger.....So I hopped out of my nice hot shower and decided it would be easiest sitting on the edge of the bath tub...which proved to be a lot easier than I thought it would be...mission accomplished, I no longer have hairier legs than a gorilla and feel much better...

 

Smooth hair free legs and new comfy pj's....bliss..

I have noticed my skin has been a bit drier than usual lately, again more than likely from being pregnant, so I made sure I moistuised well after my shower and I have found an amazing cream that helps with the tummy while skin is stretching and accomadating bub....

But before I get to that cream I'll share a few of my favourite products I like to use. I like to keep things as chemical free as possible at home after learning years ago about what really goes into shampoos and body washes....

Alchemy has been my fave shampoo for years and completely natural...

I love cocoa butter smell..it's intoxicating..

If you need a new exfoliator then you have to try Dr Lewinn's...I use it almost everyday...couldn't live without it...

My fave night cream and is really good for sun damage and pigmentation....my skin always feels so soft in the morning....

 

I have beenusing Garnier since running out of my Dr Lewinn's day cream and it's pretty good...

 

I love these in summer as it cools your whole face right down...if you haven't tried one try it this summer....

 

When I worked in Priceline years ago I sold heaps of this to new mums and other women but until recently didn't need it myself....now though it's a saver for hiding those dark circles under the eyes...

 

I never used to be a Vaseline lover as I found it too greasy but being this one has cocoa butter I thought I'd try it and I have to say it's very hydrating especially on just shaved legs...

 

And this is my absolute fave product at the moment...I wish they had something like this 21yrs ago when I had my first son...would have saved a lot of stretch marks....though I have noticed since using it it's fading old stretch mark scars as well as scars from surgery when my gall bladder was removed...

 

So there you have it these are my fave things I use and it seems like a lot doesn't it...?? The things we women do...but if they didn't work I wouldn't recommend them...I have been using Dr Lewinn's for four years now and happily recommend it....when I find products I love I like to share the news and pass it on.....so if you have any questions about any of these products or others feel free to ask me and I'll give you an honest opinion....

 

Well have a great night I'm off to make Taco's for dinner tonight and I have a special post tomorrow...it's something I've neglected of late but didn't even realise it until recently so I will share more tomorrow.....Au revoir for now and take care...xo 

BB Cream Is B.B. Brilliant......

Bonjour mon amis, I hope you're all having a good Monday morning so far....it's a little on the chilly side here and I'm so longing for the warm weather.

Today I wanted to share with you a wonderful little cream I found, I'm sure most of you have heard of it but until I saw a report on Today Tonight, I had not heard of all the new BB creams. It's unusual for me not to have heard of a new product as I am a Beautician by trade and try to keep up with new products. At the time I saw the report they covered a lot of different brands but in the end it was found by the women asked that the Garnier BB Cream was the best.

I like to try things for myself and not just take someone elses opinion as gospel. I didn't think too much else of the report until I was in Priceline a few weeks ago and saw that BB cream was on special. I decided to have a look and a feel and see what it was like. Now this was probably not the best time to investigate as we had the girls with us and they were getting restless and bugging us about how long we were going to be. (Chris was looking at something else.) So I had a quick try and thought the coverage was good and even though I have quite olive skin I decided the 'light' coloured cream was the right choice. However I didn't buy it at the time because I couldn't concentrate on wether I really liked it or not with the girls nagging to go elsewhere.

Again I didn't give it too much thought until I saw it on special in Woolworths last week. As the girls were bugging Chris I had a chance to read the box and get the information off it I didn't get in Priceline and this time I bought it. I have noticed in the last few weeks due to being pregnant I have been getting red in the face and major dark circles under my eyes which I never usually get even when I'm not pregnant. Luckily for me it was on special again so home it came.

Love this cream...yey for Garnier....

 

The amazing thing is this cream really does do all it claims to do on the box...I've tried tinted moisturisers many times but find too many of them are too oily, a feeling I don't like on my skin. However the BB Cream is so light I forget I'm even wearing it and it leaves your skin feeling soft and fresh, what more could we girls ask for?? As I said earlier I've been getting quite dark circles under my eyes which I don't usually get but I have really noticed how well this cream conceals them, so now I don't look so washed out and blah when I leave the house. I have also found that it spreads a long way so you don't need to use too much and while I've been using it every day it's not clogging my pores and leaving my skin feeling yuck.

 

So we've established the fact I'm converted to BB Cream and I'm happy to only be using this for the time being and maybe longer but how many of you have given it a try?? I would love to know if you have and I'd love to know what you think of it...

 

A must have in every womans makeup bag, draw or cupboard....

 

 

Well I must be off as there are children to wake up and get ready for school, so I hope you all have a great day and I'll be back soon with some more things for YuppyBubby and an update later today on The Baby Journey.....so until then Au revoir for now and take care...xo

 

Michelle

 

 



Finding A Balance....

Bonjour on this lovely sunny morning mon ami's. I hope you all have a great day to look forward too and plans for the weekend.

Well as you all know I have been busy sewing, sewing, sewing and still there is more to do. I have some how ended up with more girl bibs than boy bibs but that will be sorted very soon, the main thing is I actually have quite a few bibs to list on etsy now and yesterday I found just what I needed to make up some burping cloths.

More bibs to list on etsy and my first girls pack of 5 is ready to go...

I also made bubs first sheet set and it came out really well beside the fact I thought I had cut the bottom sheet too long so re-adjusted the length only to have it just fit the mattress......don't you hate it when you ignore your first instincts.....I completely forgot that once I ran the elastic through (it's a fitted sheet obviously) the sheet the elastic would pull it all in and adjust the size any way.....oh well live and learn as they say, the main thing is it fits and looks great...I made the top sheet in a sleeping bag style so even if bub is wriggly and kicks alot his little legs and feet will still be covered....Luke was a real wriggly baby and always kicking his blankets off and I was always covering him back up but I will win with this bub......

My first sheet set....I love this fabric with the sharks...the next set is turtles and it's gorgeous...

 



So while the sewing has been going great and in full swing my blogging has been suffering terribly...it's always in the back of my mind I want to blog and have stuff to tell you all but usually by the time my day is over from the school run (which I'm so over by the way, if there's one time of day I hate it's the end of a school day), sewing, cleaning the house and everything that goes with it, organising dinner and getting kids to bed I'm just too pooped to sit down and blog.....I'm finding I'm really starting to feel more tired at the end of the day lately and that's probably because I don't go back to bed once Chris goes to work, so I'm up from 5:30am and then with bub getting bigger and bigger and taking all my energy and the girls messing around when they should be going to sleep...well I'm ready to close my eyes myself and veg out...I've been falling asleep on the couch lately before I even make it to bed...lol.....but I am determined to find some time somewhere to keep up with my posts, so bear with me if I'm a little lax and I appreciate all of you who still come and visit and read even though I'm not here...xoxo

Tuesday I decided to take some time out and get my hair done (yet again) and it was good to sit and relax and chat with my hairdresser while she did all the work.....once again I have gone back to my natural colour, although I love the blonde the maintenance drives me crazy after a while and being brunette is so much easier to touch up quickly than blonde.....so brunette I am again...Some of you might remember my post about Blonde vs Brunette and this has been going on with me for 20yrs however I'm determined to keep things simple in my life so I think staying a brunette is one of the easiest way of doing this...for now....lol....

 Back to my natural colour and enjoying it...

 

Well I'm off for now, I have some children to wake up and get ready for school and lots more sewing to do today as well as washing, cleaning etc...So I will be back soon...if you'd like to follow me on instagram to keep up with what's happening with Yuppy Bubby you can follow me at HOME_LOVE_LIFE so take care and have a great day...xo