Friday Round Up

beautiful afternoon walk - forrest with auntie kay - flutterby

pre-pregnancy skincare stash - morning ritual in the nursery - obscene chocolatey goodness

baby-free = loose hair and a chunky necklace - a little friend - the krypton factor/jumperoo

instagram - madeupoflittlethings

How was your week? Mine was great!

We started with a day at home on Monday, a lazy day. We had a beautiful, long walk in the afternoon, soaking up the sun and enjoying listening to the birds singing away happily. It really felt like Spring was upon us and I found myself smiling and humming to Forrest as we followed the road out of the village. I could have walked all day! When we got home I took the little fella off to bed for a sleep as he was a bit whiny due to lack of nap time ... two hours later we woke up! Two hours! 

On Tuesday we visited my mummy friend Rachael and her gorgeous baby Molly for a lovely walk and some baby chat. I only met Rachael about six months ago and I am so glad I did - it's so rare for me to meet someone I instantly hit it off with. We have so much to talk about, we never stop chatting and the time just flies when we meet up! We were both heavily pregnant (and fed up) when we first met and Molly was born just six days after Forrest. They will be at nursery together later this year and hopefully they'll already be best friends by then :) The low point of Tuesday was when a pair of starlings dropped down the chimney and into the kitchen, panicking and flying into the windows, all the while crapping everywhere - the sofa, the cushions, the oak floor, you name it. It took me 20 minutes of opening windows and doors and waving the tea towel at them to get them out. Forrest sat in his little seat and looked on in awe - at least it entertained him for a while!

Matt took Wednesday off work for a family trip to the Peak District (more in a coming post) which was absolutely brilliant. We haven't spent a full day as a family since Christmas so it was long overdue and much enjoyed. Having a baby in tow means that you need to cart a whole load of stuff along with you and the chaos of an early start and ensuring Forrest was fed/changed/dressed/had all his necessary gear meant that I completely forgot both my camera and my iPhone and had to resort to using Matts iPhone for the obligatory snaps. Extremely frustrating but the important thing is that we had a lovely day together

On Thursday we headed into town to visit my step mum and she took Forrest for a walk while I ran some errands. She also had one of those indecently chocolatey triple chocolate muffins all ready and waiting for me - not good for the waistline but insanely delicious!

Yesterday was spent at home, waiting for deliveries. One of which was a Jumperoo for Forrest. I've been assured that this is the way to ensure I get ten minutes to myself when I'm alone with him all day. It took an hour to assemble (thanks, baby brain) and to be honest he doesn't seem that enamoured with it. I'm secretly hoping he doesn't take to it - it's a monstrosity! I can hear eBay beckoning ...

We also had to pop to town for emergency baby cough and cold supplies. Forrest is suffering with a horrible chesty cough and whilst it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much, I'm suffering when I listen to him hacking away. Poor thing, I hope it doesn't last long

I've nothing much planned for this weekend, although it will be my first Mothers Day as an actual mother, which feels ... I don't know, like a bit of an achievement I suppose. I've been promised an all expenses paid spa trip when I next feel the need (Forrest is very generous with presents!) and I'll be visiting my lovely fairy stepmother on Sunday and enjoying a roast with my sisters and their children while Matt builds walls at home. It's a hard life!

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy spoiling your mums tomorrow 

Friday Round Up

feline visitor at the patio doors - new candle dilemma - neighbours cute garden

a lonely daff - gift from my sister - lie in with an angel

one day, three lost items found - breakfast with an audience - did someone order a wild friday night for two?

instagram - madeupoflittlethings

This week has been totally dominated by my ever-increasing love for my favourite band, Elbow. They've finally scored a number one album and by god it's absolutely beautiful. How much music released in the last few years can truly be described as beautiful? The poetic lyrics, rich melodies and soaring choruses bring tears to the eyes. And it's not just my postnatal state - every one of their six albums has done this to me over the years. The band is the thinking woman's crumpet and Guy Garvey writes the best love songs you've ever heard, even when he's writing about the breakdown of his 10 year relationship. Example below - talking about aforementioned very recent ex and how, years from now, he will wish the best for her and the family she'll go on to have in the future;

A sober midnight wish flies over the roofs and down through the years
Would that you and yours were sleeping safe and warm in size formation
While three chambers of my heart beat true and strong with love for another
The fourth, the fourth is yours forever

elbow - this blue world 

And all delivered in his gorgeous, soulful, Mancunian baritone ... do yourself a favour and have a listen. Just have a tissue handy. Don't say I didn't warn you

Friday Round Up

the dogs babysitting - no idea when i'll have time to read these - rolling baby

evidence of spring - dip 'n' share eggs - foggy morning

nap with forrest - my favourite place - friday night treats

instagram - madeupoflittlethings

Despite promising myself that I'd do a round up every week, you may have noticed that it just hasn't happened. The fact is that I'm knackered! Being on call for a baby 24 hours a day is just exhausting and when he finally hits the hay at night I've still got dinner to cook, washing up and tidying up to do, bottles to wash, sterilise and prepare for the next day and a load of laundry to wash and drape over the Aga overnight. Matt has been embroiled in a new business venture since the new year which is keeping him extremely busy but is also extremely exciting and requires discussing at great length every evening too :) so as you can see, blogging has taken a bit of a back seat. Again. I've really rediscovered my passion for blogging and would love to have more time to do it but I also love reading up on all my favourite blogs too ... there just aren't enough hours in the day! I need to manage my time better I think, there must be a way of structuring my days (and nights) to squeeze a bit more time out of the day. I'm working on it ...

Forrest started sleeping through the night last month and this continued, apart from the odd night, until a couple of weeks ago when things went awry again. He's now waking up for his late night feed at 10.30pm (which I used to do whilst he was asleep) as well as two to three times in the early hours. Just when I thought we had it nailed he has changed the rules and reminded us who is the boss. He also had his third set of vaccinations last week and we are dealing with the aftermath which means he gets quite unsettled and needs lots of cuddles (not a huge problem, he's not always big on cuddles the rest of the time so I'm making the most of it!) But the bone-crushing tiredness is back and I'm not enjoying it

Luckily for me I have a wonderful fairy stepmother who takes Forrest off my hands for a few hours every week so I can catch up on some sleep, get some jobs done or just have a break. This week I spent my Forrest-free time being massaged to within an inch of my life - back, neck, shoulders and an Indian head massage. It was heavenly. I then made my way to my step mums sofa, steeping in gorgeous smelling Elemis oils, had some lunch and took myself off to bed for a couple of hours. Bliss. Forrest went visiting with his grandma, flirted with all her friends and the lady in the bank and had a walk along the sea front, taking the air like a proper olden-days baby. He returned in great spirits and had an early night, leaving me and Matt to enjoy Rosie's dip 'n' share eggs with toasted sourdough bread and plan our lives for the next 15 years (our new favourite pastime!)

I also tried another Rosie recipe - Coca-Cola pulled pork - on Wednesday night when my dad came over for dinner. Matt works late on Wednesdays so I get my lovely dad all to myself for a couple of hours. He was most impressed and, I think, has become Rosie's latest follower! Purely for her recipes, I'm sure ...

My post natal hair loss continues, we had five people over for Sunday lunch last weekend and I think everyone got one of my hairs on their plate! The poor woman who did my Indian head massage was covered in it and the floor under the treatment table had enough giant hairballs to stuff a small mattress. I hope it stops soon, I'm sick of finding hair everywhere!

Work on the house plods on, Matt spends every weekend outside, building. He's currently building the walls around the garden and last weekend he put in some beautiful York stone steps from the lawn - or what will be the lawn - down to the patio - or what will be the patio! It's such a slow process and it's difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel but we are getting there, we just have to keep reminding each other that it will all be worth it in the end

Tonight I'll be indulging in a long hot bath whilst listening to the new Elbow album and, hopefully, an early night. Tomorrow Matt will be having his first day off since Christmas so that we can do something together as a family - we haven't quite decided what yet but a long walk with the dogs will feature somewhere, I'm sure. He's racing on Sunday so I'll be heading to my parents for Sunday lunch with the family

If you haven't already, please do enter last weeks giveaway for the chance to win a beautiful scented candle from Rebecca Blake. I'm a total convert to these candles and have my next four purchases planned already!

Have a fabulous weekend, may the sunshine continue!

Rachael Reviews - Rebecca Blake Scented Candles*

If you're a long time reader you'll know that I'm a big lover of scented candles. The White Company 'Winter' candle is a regular purchase, I love many Yankee Candles (particularly 'Cherries On Snow' and their Christmas scents) and I even dabbled in Neom candles when they had their fifteen minutes of fame 

I don't mind paying a bit above the odds for a good quality candle - I think you can smell a cheap candle a mile away. Synthetic scents that irritate your nose and don't fill the room. Cheap candles are also prone to burning poorly and unevenly, often tunnelling, so you really don't get value for money 

The thing I like about good quality candles is that they tend to burn more evenly, meaning you get the most from every drop. They are usually made from better quality (mostly natural) waxes and the scents are usually deeper and richer and make the overall experience more luxurious

So I was delighted when my sister introduced me to Rebecca Blake Scented Candles. The company was established in April 2013 by Lincolnshire based clinical aromatherapist, Catherine Lewak, who has used her 15 years of experience in working with essential oils to create a range of room scenting candles and reed diffusers as well as therapy candles, made using 100% essential oils

Rebecca Blake was the name of Catherine's great grandmother, a beautiful lady who lived through two world wars and whose hard work inspired Catherine to found the company

The room scenting candles are inspired by 'of the moment' fragrances from houses such as Jo Malone and Diptyque and include Wild Blackberry & Bay, Lime Basil & Mandarin and Baies. My personal favourites are Black Fig & Cassis and Japanese Plum, both slightly sweet but musky smelling fragrances. There are special edition Christmas scents too, including Black Cherry & Gluhwein (rich and delicious) and Cranberry, Orange & Cinnamon (sharp and fruity) which I will definitely be purchasing come December

The Therapy candles include Lavender & Frankincense (aids sleep) and Peppermint, Lemon & Basil (aids concentration) These really appeal to my developing interest in aromatherapy and I'm looking forward to trying a couple very soon

I have found my Rebecca Blake candle to burn evenly and emit a really beautiful, heady scent. I burn it in the kitchen as that's where I spend most of my time and visitors always comment on the scent and ask where they can get one. I left the kitchen door open last night and the gorgeous scent wafted all the way up the stairs, I could even smell it in the bedroom when I went to bed. I'm already planning my next purchase(s)

You can order any Rebecca Blake products by contacting Catherine via her Facebook page

Catherine has very kindly offered a Black Fig & Cassis candle (worth £22) to a lucky reader. To enter, all you need to do is like Rebecca Blake Scented Candles Facebook page and leave a comment below telling me your favourite type of candle scent. The winner will be drawn at random on Friday 14th March and will be announced on Twitter - make sure you're following me (@madeupof)

Good luck!