my feet and toes are pregnant too... they are so swollen and fat.. I was painting my toe nails red- hence the yellow nail syndrome - but i can't reach - i can't reach comfortably enough to take off all the nail polish!! less than 4 weeks left... i am still at work for a few more days this week and a little bit next week- i am really wanting to be done..

and finally while i was taking pics of my fat feet - honey cat was being so cute- his little chin!!!

okay i am getting delirious!!

long time no blog--oops

it's been really busy at work and i've been really tired..not much crafting going on- just eating , sleeping and working...

paul has finished his doctorate -but is revising and revising..and also fractured his foot in three places last night at touch rugby.... i decided to take the day off- i have 2 weeks left of work and 5 weeks til baby is due.

we had our last prenatal class on Monday, and I'll be starting prenatal yoga on thursday,which is really cool and after baby arrives there is a special class for mom and babies on saturdays - too cool!! very excited that i found these classes..
better late than never. i've been swimming still, but only managing once a week.

this is one of my favorite cereals here in NZ, BUGS IN MUD - like coco kripsies.. with vanilla soy milk - yum

also, glennis from my work gave me somewhere around 100 old style nappy/diapers squares !!!! cool huh?? there are a million and one ways to fold these , this is a great site for that http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/Advice/Instructions.asp?InstructionID=2&index=4
and a ton of uses for them!! so that was great!!!

belly update- 33 weeks and feeling very huge and ready to pop- almost...
my parents sent a bunch of baby things, sooooo cool!! i am soooo lucky- I love all the carters stuff -they don't have that brand here ......
i have 3 more weeks of work left - which kind of scares me. i like working - it's makes the time go by faster..
my friend jesse called from California today- it was really good to catch up - I don't have alot of friends here.. and i really appreciate my old long time friends that I have..
today is Waitangi Day , we didn't do much...
i 'm getting more and more tired ..lately.........

another ultrasound - 31 weeks - which was taken few weeks ago.... the last 3/d ultrasound was 28 weeks- and they lost the images and forgot to send them to me on a disc..
so - they said they would do it over again for free!!! this time we got a DVD of baby moving and a CD of pics..unfortunately baby was hiding again in his placenta pillow and the sonographer spent 20 minutes trying to take his picture.. this is the best one - she said he was sucking his thumb-i can barely make it out.

he looks like my hubby to me-
7 weeks to go... not too much longer to go - it's all starting to go by quite quickly.
i am excited to meet our little fellow!!

I am such a lucky girl!!! i was craving LAU LAu for months- and today was my lucky day.. a woman came into my work to register for weaving class and she was from Hawai'i and we got to talking and of course we were talking about food- and local food that we both missed and food you can make here. and she brought up LAU LAU --which i have be craving!!!!!
she has found a local source for luau leaves ( which are taro leaves) and made lau lau and had some in her freezer and brought me some!!!!!!!! how cool is that!!!!!!!!!!!!

- i was suppose to go swimming after work - but those lau lau were calling me - i ate one - ONOOOOOOoooooooo and i might share with hubby or maybe not- I think the baby likes it more than hubby anyway--

my nesting-maternal thing is really kicked into high gear now- because why else would i get excited about diapers- or nappies as they call them here in NZ ........
by the way other baby words that are different here are:
diapers=nappies
binky=dummy
crib=cot
nipple=teat
stroller=pram
baby = bub

anyway- I have found the coolest baby stuff supplier here in NZ, Aroha at Plush baby ..
I got my cloth nappies,-real nappies" covers and a bunch of organic baby toiletries- Eco products from her . I didn't put the toiletries in the pics - like shampoo- lavender - massage oil - and soaps... and then i went out grocery shopping and bought all those other things in the pic- sterlising tabs, breast pads, newborn diapers for the first week, baby wipes-- i feel much better and more prepared - though i have tons of time.

and lastly - the other pic of my Aby- he caught a little friend - bird and was playing with him -not hurting the little bird for hours- I am pretty sure the bird could fly away as it did a few times ( well not fly away totally - but flew around and landed again) and then Honey came along - and ripped the bird to shreds-very sad- but i wasn't going to touch the bird either way--

oops - i missed a week posting---
getting back to the work groove was harder than i thought!

yesterday some little boys knocked on the doors with strawberries for sale -all these for only $5.... my belly is 38.5 inches - not growing too fast... some days he is more active than others

some good news - i am getting another 3/d ultra sound on monday- the ultrasound place lost the images that they were suppose to burn on a CD-- so i am happy i get an another chance to see him!!!

i finished the cashmere- cotton baby blanket that i started ages ago, kind of anti- climatic because it took so long!!!

i also made some gifts for my best friend jonathan- to aid his knitting obsession - i wouldn't say what all I made and got him type because he might read this before his box gets to him - i only mailed it 5 days ago.. he is the one that i made the skull and cross bones knitting bag-- so this is a case for this circular needles- but i didn't like the stitching in one place on this - so i kept this one for myself and made another for him with black stitching .. ..

i am also excited for my secret pal to get her gift-- she is an incredible spinner - she has spun mass amounts with only a drop hand spindle and has recently bought a spining wheel.. one of the things i got her- was a bunch of washed and combed wool sliver for her to spin from a small farm in Wairarapa NZ that raise a breed called , "Gotland " and the cool thing was - not only the story about the farm and the people that own it - but a pic of the actual sheep that the sliver that she'll spin came from !! the wool is a really pretty grey-- i hope she likes it - i thought was soo cool.

we had a 3/d ultrasound yesterday...
it was different than i thought- it was only 10-15 minutes long and it wasn't 4/d - which is real time- - they took 2/d scans and captured the images and then switch to 3/d... baby was asleep and at first had his face completely smooshed into the placenta.. and looked really funny. i moved around a little and we got this picture--it's not bad, but it still looks a bit strange! that blob by his forehead is his placenta pillow!

12 weeks to go ...... i am trying to enjoy the journey and not concentrate too much right now on the arrival...

i have been sewing alot - today i'll finish the 10 zippered 24" x 26" cushions for the sofas and the curtain trim.. and if i'm lucky i 'll get to go for a walk or a swim.. my energy is really limited ...not sure what it is -- the weather has changed too-it's gotten really sunny and hot...

3 more days of "vacation" - i have to make it productive.

i got another package from my SECRET PAL!!!! some beautiful silk blend chenille, which i 've never seen- and silk blend multi colored yarn that feels really beautiful ! both from JAPAN - really cool and some LUSH angel yumy um soap!!! and best of all some yellow cotton for the baby!! that will be my next project!!! thank you , secret pal for oyur thoughtful presents!!!!!!

here is an update of my projects so far this week- i haven't been as productive as i would have liked.. even though i 've been off for 5 days!! today i WILL be more productive..i need to finish covering the million cushions in the lounge ( that's what they call a living room here) and the sheer curtains in the baby /spare room - and some other long lingering nesting projects.

one finished peg doll .. and the puchicollective bendy kitty- for our niece ruth ..
and some embroidered onesies for Leonie's expected in june baby -- a Maori design koru/tewhaiwhai and a fern ( which is like a NZ national symbol).. ..

hopefully i'll post more progression later .....

here they are clothes peg dolls!!

they aren't done yet-

stage one

BAKE- a-THON
i made noreweign
x-mas bread- YULEKAKA -yulekake... though it didn't come out like Mom's - it still was good .... toasted with butter.....

and then i made blueberry muffins on Sunday-- and they were really yummy -and bad for you ...i really wanted to make the crumbl-y top kind of muffin-which is pure butter- sugar and flour-totally fattening !!
i am not sure if it 's being pregnant , but i am sooo into baking right now!!!! next week - X-mas cookies..i am thinking gingerbread . my friend's daughter wanted to bake together - i think ginger bread and decorating would be really fun!

i started to make some peg/clothespin dolls too for my little nieces and cousins-- -this first batch might be for my girlfriends -- they are more like 1920's tarts! they aren't done yet, i still have to dress them.... i painted on underwear, needed to let the first layer dry and add some more details ... and i want to make some hula peg /clothespin dolls too.
they are so much fun! this is stage one - i 'll post more as i progress

looking forward to our 2 week holiday off from work --only one and a half weeks to go!!! we aren't doing anything special this year for the holidays... i am going to miss not going home. hopefully i 'll get to do lots of sewing and making things ......

the pregnancy is going well, i went swimming again today and went for an hour long walk yesterday ,which by the end of it was getting a little tired. i really want to keep exercising .. .it's hard to keep motivated.... 3 more weeks til the 3/d ultrasound! i am so excited !!!

can't seem to upload pics of dolls-will do it tomorrow

Summer is here and so are the berries. yesterday at the grocery store , i bought some blackberries and raspberries.. and today a guy from a near by berry farm came by to sell these beauties- which are beautiful and perfect AND delicious.. the punnets were full -i ate half the amount WAS in them..... i am making smoothies every morning with yogurt, bananas, berries, apple juice and flax seed oil ( to make the baby's brain smart!hahhah)
i love berries!!!!
this is a little Maori doll that my friend Maraea gave me today!!! ( she's the one who gave us the x-mas tree too!) isn't this a great doll ???- she has a moko - tattoo on her chin and greenstone - pounamu hei tiki on her neck and korowai /cloak with REAL feathers...she is beautiful. i named her Princess Puawai.. she makes me happy.
i want to make some blueberries muffins!!

I couldn't upload these for some reason for the last post
my dble pillow- my boppy pillow and fake tree and ABy and belly-24 weeks

i 've really started to pop out only 16 weeks left- that's seems like a long time!

my friend at work gave me a fake tree, it's our first x-mas tree, ABY, the cat loves it!!! it even came with lights and decorations -- instant-a- tree. i've never had a x-mas tree , because i usually go home for X-mas.

yesterday - i made eggnog because they don't sell it in NZ-- maybe because i t's summer. but i like cold egg nog-- i ruined the first batch - burnt it - i thought i turned the oven off but i turned it on high !! Honey , the cat -was wanting to be fed and wanted some affection - i got distracted and didn't notice it was on high- i tried to save the curdled custard- but the burnt taste prevaded and i had to throw out the batch - wasted 2 litres of milk and 7 free range eggs-

in trying to get into the NZ christmas spirit and because husband likes fruitcake...
i also made cold oven christmas cake- it's takes 4.5 hours to cook in a low temp oven.......it was done baking at a quarter til midnight!! i had some today it's really good... for some reason i was surprised- i didn't think i liked Xmas cake/fruitcake... i am now a fan. Actually -= i do like one version on X-mas fruitcake that Mom makes- Noreweign Yulekaka -- that will be next weekend.

the cold oven x-mas cake called for a half a teaspoon of GLYCERINE., i was perplexed. but i figured out why-i think .... people make their cakes now, but eat them in a month. no freezing - you let it "Age" hence the preservative of the glycerine--
this morning , before i made that connection or was told about the wating for a month to eat it- froze one loaf-- i guess i should take it out and let it ferment.

i also spent much of saturday working on pilllows- i hadn't even realised the theme - i made a new case for my SMOOSHIE pillowm it' s filled with tiny ( like the size of geains of sand) soft polyurethane or stryroform balls very very tiny. and the cats poked holes in the spandex and the little filling balls were coming out everywhere-- very diiffcult to clean up .. so it's sat in a plastic bag for months--- i made a cotton lycra cover-it's my new best friend!!!! - it soo smooshy -i took it to work today for my back and brought it home to use it at night .
i also made a double pillow case -and long one with a a divider in the middle. They don't have the long body pillows here-so this was the closest i could do - i use two feather pillows in it .. still need to perfect it though.. they are a little far a part.....
and finally that u- shaped thing is called a"boppy" or a "breast friend" hahaha it' s a breast feeding pillow- i made a fleece-y cover for it..
and that's about it for me

these are a few of my favorite things!!
DZ double salt licorice from Denmark- yummy!!! they give you dog breath though.... and HORLICKs Malt tablets- I absolutely L-O-V-E these--

when i was little we use to be able to b uy little glass bottles with red caps of these horlicks malt tablets and then they disappeared-- and then around the 80's I found them again in big bottles--and now the only place i found them was in chinatown in hawai'i - with malayasian writing ( weird) marketed as a health thing.

I love both of these!! i need to not wat as many salt licorice because i don't want to start retaining water...

and of course my kitties.. and EGG NOG!!! i was having a craving for eggnog - in a carton -i don't care-- went to the market and guess what?? they don't do eggnog in New Zealand.. because it's summer here??? i was meet with strange looks and laughter when i inquired... must be an american thing they said.. people here LOVE fruitcake- english thing ??? but not eggnog?? i got a recipe from mom and am going to make some today....yum yum!

and my grandmother sent me a package-- with some vintage shell buttons- on their original cards too !! how cool!! and some vintage embroidered linen curtains --really beautiful not sure what to do with them yet...

i tried to upload these with the other photos and couldn't do it
more pics of matakana island- the fire pit and view of mainland from matakana.
and a pic of my view of mybelly last weekend - 22 weeks from last weekend...

the roses are going off in the yard- tons of beautful roses- i didn't do any planting of other flowers like i usually do or veggies - so this is all we have. but it's still really nice.
i haven't been sewing and knitting - because i've been x-mAs stressing - not really but i want to get the things together to send overseas soon - or it will be late--as always..
and work has been ........tiring . last night we had a work function that was all day all the way into the night .. it was cool , it was our regional induction hui .. and the Maori King - came and ate with us and there was lots of singing and
kapa haka
performances .. the baby likes singing i think - because he gets active when we sing or others around are singing. at work ,we have kapa haka every week for about an hour and a half , but i don't always go because i am stressing out trying to get stuff done..when i do go - i am so happy that i did.. so i am going to make a commitment to go from now til baby arrives.

random pics , my friend jane recently burnt me a CD of pics from our last year's staff /work retreat we had on Matakana Island. We stayed on a marae and it was so beautiful - it was the first time i'd seen the ocean in a long time - as we live in land a bit-it's about 2 hours to the closest beach ...seeing the ocean made me feel very happy. and we had fresh pipis from the ocean at every meal ... and the kitchen was great!! in a marae you have a big eating house and kitchen and everything is done communally... cooking - eating - cleaning up- washing up.. the kitchen had a great fire pit that you can see ...
and a pic of my studious hubby - who is
in the home stretch of his studies - he's due to finish when baby is due!


i am very excited for the weekend- as once again i plan to SEW- but will it come to be???

i've been concentrating on making baby wraps of different sorts and baby slings. and pregnant lady clothes.. though i am not that big- 36 inches around my opu...at my piko ...and 64 kilos.. i can't wear any of my old clothes save for a few dresses. my entire weekend i am devoting to sewing - first time in a long time- it's just been knitting and crocheting..
I have a few friends that preggers or just had babies-- actually more than a few like 10 people i know- which is cool -- so i want to make gifts for everyone especially now while i have time.
and x-mas is around the corner- which i keep forgeting - because it's getting warmer here and summer is almost here in the southern hemisphere- and it's taking me awhile to get use to WARM - HUMID equals X-mas , cold foggy rain = june and july... so i am completely behind with making anything for x-mas.

anyway - just working alot and try to swim as much as possible- will post some pics this weekend.

here are some pics of my ever expanding belly... and my sweet kitties.. i love them.. though yesterday i came home and there were feathers all over the house ... paul had come home and picked up the dead bird or bird parts and deposed of them and left . so by the time i came home it was just millions of feathers everywhere!!!! fun to clean up!
slowly working on the baby blanket, but now i want to make a little hat for my friend's erin and jan's baby- that is due in April - May. i am either going to crochet a little chenille frog hat or a stripey one- haven't decided yet ,but i'll make it a little bigger so he can wear it in winter 2007 ...

IT'S A BOY - here is a pic of the wee one - 20 weeks in utero...
we went for an ultra sound and found out it's a boy!!!
i still can't believe sometimes that i am pregnant - and half way there !!!
today i went to work - got stressed- bought a huge new bra at lunch time and then went for a swim at the indoor pool - which was really lovely and DE-stressing..
i am going to bed now

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

i made the severed fingers and added some color - so i could call them witch's fingers - everything was going good ....until i baked them..
they turned into MUPPET FINGERS-- perhaps the love child of kermit frog and miss piggy!!!!!