Homemade Bag

A few months ago my mum gave me this beautiful bag she'd made for me to keep my knitting in. She also made a matching roll for keeping my crochet hooks in. What a clever mummy I have!

It's very hot here in Umbria at the moment and for the first time ever I'm longing for the end of summer. It's too hot to go out so I've been indoors most of the time sewing and knitting next to the fan! 

There are only 4 weeks to go now until our baby is due. Apart from being a bit hot I'm feeling really well and I could quite happily stay pregnant forever!!  

One Year

One year ago today I married the kindest, smartest, most handsome man in the world. 

Most people say their wedding day was the happiest day of their lives. For me, it was just the start of many many happy days married to the most wonderful man. I can't wait for all the happy filled years to come. 

For Olga.....

Today didn't start as a good day. I had to get up early to drive to a nearby town for my ante-natal class. I don't like driving here and avoid it unless absolutely necessary. On the way home I took the wrong road twice, got shouted at by another driver for taking too long at a junction and arrived home feeling hot tired and stressed. 

Overall, it hasn't been a great week. I baked a cake yesterday which burnt, the washing machine broke down and we had to buy a new one. Matteo is away with work at the moment and will miss our first wedding anniversary this weekend so all in all I was feeling a bit down.

Then I switched on my computer and saw this beautiful post for me from Olga at Artful Nuance. Such a kind and thoughtful post which has made this into a good day and a good week. Thank you so much Olga x x 

Lazy summer days.....

The days here are very hot and long. I've been getting up early to make the most of the cool mornings to get things done before the sun rises high in the sky. Then it's time to close the shutters and rest in the cool shady house. When evening comes and the fireflies come out I'll go out for a walk, look at the stars and enjoy the fresher air. 

During the hottest hours, when I'm hiding inside from the sun, I'm managing to get quite a few things made for the baby. 

It's wonderful to have these final few weeks completely free to prepare for our little one, to relax and make the most of this special time. 

Challenge of the Utmost Kind - update

As you may remember since last October I have been taking part in a challenge, inspired by Dotty Angel, to buy only second-hand or hand-made goods for myself and home for one whole year. There are only 2 months left of my challenge and I'm happy to say it's been a huge success. I've become much more aware of what I buy and my attitude as a consumer has completely changed. I no longer buy whatever I feel like without a minutes thought.

I can't say that I've stuck to the challenge 100% unfortunately. I've bought a couple of items of clothing to fit my expanding belly and I've bought a couple of pregnancy books that weren't second hand. However, apart from these few items I've stuck completely to hand made or second-hand. That is apart from things for the baby! I decided early on that it would be impossible to stick completely to the challenge when it comes to shopping for the baby. There are certain things that I wanted to buy new such as car seat, crib and mattress, pram. I've bought a few new bits of clothing but only the bare minimum and I've been given a lot of things second hand. Anything I do buy new I try to stick to my green principles and consider where the item has been made and what it's been made of. I'll be doing another post on my 'eco-friendly' baby preparations some time soon. 

Overall, it's proving to be an extremely rewarding experience and although the challenge officially ends in a couple of months I'm pretty sure that I'll continue on with my new spending habits.