Bath, bed and stories all round

I did the bath, bed and story routine with Izzie this evening.  Whenever I get the chance I like to finish work at 5pm on the dot and get straight across to my sister's in time for stories.  I was there in good time this evening, plus bedtime is a little later due to the school holidays, so Izzie and I also managed a quick game of Bus Stop whilst watching Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy.  For the last couple of years I have always been sure to visit Izzie with a bag or basket full of fun stuff.  Usually I take stickers, colouring books and craft kits but just lately I've popped an Orchard Toys board game in my bag and Izzie loves them.  They are simple enough for her to learn but challenging enough to hold her attention.  Izzie beats me every single time and I swear it's not because I let her!  We like Shopping List and Pop to the Shops best.  Funny that the shopping ones would appeal to me most… Ha. 

After her bath, from which I got soaked from head to toe messing about with plastic colanders, Izzie picked out a book for us to read.  She chose, I'm sure, the thickest book in her collection.  We read a page each and it took us nearly half an hour.  It is fair to say that I am not a fan of the Buffin Street Gang.

Baby Ellie has spent all of my visits fast asleep so far and tonight was no exception.  We did get a good long snuggle together after her feed and Ellie snuffled into my shoulder, hiccuping softly (after the loudest, rudest, burp you ever heard).  She is almost enough to make me broody, that girl.  Everyone adores her.  It is a joy to see my sister so relaxed and happy with her second baby.  

I've been home for an hour, scoffed a posh fish finger sandwich and I think I'm off to bed now.  I am reading The Diary of a Provincial Lady and loving it.  It makes me laugh out loud; the unspoken competition she has with Lady B about 'the bulbs' has tickled me a lot.  Like an old-fashioned, married, Bridget Jones - I can definitely recommend it.

SO nearly the weekend.  Bring it on! 

Nicki 

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A new baby in the family

Sewing [kitchen] trolley from Ikea.

Some pre-cut fabrics and FQ bundles in my sewing trolley :)

Fabric basket.  Lined with stiff interfacing to maintain shape.

My favourite quilting thread:  YLI.  Very strong, good colour selection and on pretty wooden spools.

I went to see my baby niece as soon as was feasibly possible: late afternoon last Monday.  She was 44 hours old as I held her in my arms.  She slept the entire time and I couldn't stop staring at her, she's perfect.

Izzie is 5 and totally enchanted by her little sister.  When I arrived at their house, she came running out of the front door to greet me, a giant smile stretching across her face.  She said breathlessly, "Auntie Nicki, the baby has popped out of mummy's tummy and I've got a sister - come and see!"  Ha! They'd just got back from the doctor's for Ellie's 48 hour check-up and Ellie was still in her car seat.  She is so small!  Izzie cannot leave her alone.  She plants big, wet kisses all over Ellie's face and - "look at her tiny little fingers and nails, Auntie Nicki" - pulls the sleep suit roughly up over Ellie's hands to marvel at the perfection of her baby sister.

My sister, though obviously still uncomfortable and sore, is blissful.  She and Ellie bonded immediately and Sarah seems content, relaxed and unbelievably happy.  She has always wanted children - lots of them preferably - and her doctor warned her it would be difficult to conceive due to her PCOS.  Her husband is looking after her well and they are the loveliest family.  I'm so happy for them.

The joy a baby brings to a family, right?!  Mum, Sarah and I group-message daily on Viber and it so nice to receive regular snaps of Izzie and Ellie; hear their news.

The sun continues to shine but it is definitely a little cooler, which is so welcome and makes me look forward to Autumn (I know, too soon).  The heat was starting to make me ratty.  I was fed up of feeling sweaty and unable to sleep at night-time.  I also have really bad hay fever this year - what's all that about?  I didn't get a whiff of hay fever until about four years ago and it seems to get worse each year.  Bizarre.  It's clearly a slippery slope to old age.  Ha.

I'm on a mission at the moment to organise and prettify my workroom.  I bought the [kitchen] trolley from Ikea a couple of weeks ago and it needed to be separated into compartments to help me properly sort my sewing bits.  I wasn't happy with the baskets available in Ikea and decided to make some fabric buckets on my return home.  I'm really pleased with the ones I made.  They were made purely by trial and error (they started off as just the one, quite shallow basket which didn't stand stiffly enough or fit into the trays) and I'm delighted with them now.  I used a Tilda charm pack and lined with pale pink tiny polka dot fabric (also by Tilda).  I am a huge Tilda fan.  I am planning a couple of Tilda quilts for myself, together with mother/baby hares and a mouse with a crown on.  The make-up bags, beach mat and sewing accessories are also on my 'to do' list.

Have a lovely week, friends.

Nicki 

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