13/52

a portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2013

// 13/52 Ava planning her day at the eden project.  just sneaking this one in at the end of the week!

photos from cornwall coming up soon...

happy easter all!

happy happy birthday mum!

well drat.  i had written and scheduled a couple of posts so you wouldn't miss me too much while i was away {i flattered myself that you might} but i didn't realise you had to click publish rather than save.  durrr.  also we had no mobile reception and to top it off my iphone was misbehaving and refusing to stay on for more than 30 seconds at a time so i had a small unplugged hiatus.  i have to say it was nice.

but anyway, we're back now and i've been missing blogging {and instagram and twitter!}.  we've been in Cornwall celebrating my mum turning an impressive sixty years old.  i don't think she looks 60 {well definitely not in these photos!! incidentally, she's the one on the left at the top and the right at the bottom} but maybe i'm biased or maybe it's because she doesn't act old.  lover of modern technology, current music and the ability to look amazing in skinny jeans {she's all leg}; she certainly isn't a stereotypical grandma.

ten years ago we celebrated mum's 50th in New York and we still talk and laugh about the amazing week we spent there.  this time round we were in the slightly less bustling and cosmopolitan location of Cornwall, but we added two members to the celebration party {husband and Ava} and we had a blast.

we kick started her birthday with a north american style breakfast.  being of north american origin i know that food is one of the big things mum still misses from "back home" so i hunted down some aunt jemima pancake mix and syrup online and found oscar meyer bacon {british back bacon just won't do with pancakes} at sainsbury's.  she was thrilled, and so were we quite frankly, it was delicious!

later there was cake {carrot cake with cream cheese icing, her favourite}, champagne and games and we barbecued some steaks in the evening despite the unreasonably cold weather {us brits never let the weather get in the way of a holiday barbecue do we?!}.  well in truth we sent Pop out to do the honours while we stayed indoors drinking wine.

i'm so lucky to have a mother who is not only incredibly fun to be around and inspiring but lives so near by that we get to see each other most days.  and to have celebrated in our Cornish idyll with just our close family, was pretty perfect.

happy birthday mum!

and happy Good Friday everyone else!

this & that

// 1. although march is being stubbornly cold i bought some gorgeous clothes in fresh spring colours for Ava.  maybe if we wear spring clothes, spring will have to come?
// 2. earl grey rice pudding.  this is admittedly not a very pretty pudding picture but you'll have to trust me that it was divine.  all i did was steep two earl grey tea bags in the warm milk before making the pudding.  i can highly recommend it.  and it was another cheap dessert to make.  hurrah!
// 3. my mum has been scoring left right and centre at the charity shops lately.  this is her latest find for Ava and has been an instant hit.
// 4. this little munchkin played so well without much need for entertainment from me while i dug around my parents' sizeable stash of old photos for ages for a little thing i'm doing {more on that soon}.
// 5. as my parents went away a few days before us {we're soon to be joining them at the holiday cottage we rented} i got custody of this beautiful bouquet of flowers.

in other news, we had a date night on friday.  i wore heels and took a small handbag; both totally alien to me lately.  it was only the second date night {not counting my friend's wedding} since Ava was born.  we agreed that we MUST make more of an effort.  we went to see micky flanegan {comedian} and laughed so hard, it was the best.

12/52

a portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2013

// 12/52 this week i am attempting to get Ava to take one nap a day in her pram.  for many babies this is nothing, this is a regular occurrence.  but my baby likes to nap in her cot.  in the dark.  in the quiet.  which isn't usually a problem as i use the down time to catch up on stuff like household chores {well, mainly i contemplate doing them while blogging, reading, drinking tea and eating cake but somehow run out of time}.  however we're going away soon for a short break and i want our little munchkin to be a little more flexible.

the good thing about this is it is forcing me to get off my behind and get some more exercise and fresh air.  and two days in, we seem to be making progress.  yesterday Ava took a whole half hour of me pounding the pavements before she finally nodded off and that was after 5 minutes of looking like she might drop off straight away, followed by 15 minutes of mucking about {including playing peekaboo with her blanket, mimicking a dog barking, mimicking a bird tweeting, all of which were pretty cute} and then 10 minutes of yelling before settling down.  today however we had no shenanigans, and she fell asleep after 20 minutes: progress!

my next task is getting her to nap somewhere noisy like a restaurant or cafe.  am i deluded in expecting this to happen?  anyone want to share any tips or advice for napping while out and about?

this little person... at eleven months

i am so disappointed that i didn't get around to doing one of these for ten months, somehow that month just flew past!

at any rate, here we are at eleven months.  ELEVEN?!  how did that happen?? {i say that every month}. i definitely have a toddler in the makings, not a little baby any more.

so here are some of the funny or quirky things she is up to lately:

this little person...

...loves to mimic noises.  oven alarm going off?  Ava can do a "bup bup".  dog barking?  Ava does an "oof oof".
... when over a particular food on her tray will carefully pick it up and drop it over the side.  as if to say "no need for that, let's clear that out of the way"
... finds it inexplicably hilarious if you run fast in short bursts on the spot {keeps me fit at least}
... counts an empty water bottle and my husband's toothbrush as her two most favourite toys right now
... can't be trusted with a book.  she will attempt to eat some or all of it.  i am fully expecting to find a complete book in her nappy any day now.
... likes to tidy her toys away; more proof of my theory
... wants what you have.  doesn't matter if you are eating something, reading something, cleaning something; if there is something in your hand, she wants it.  preferably right now.
... is finally cuddly!  {this is by far the best one}.  she now not only cuddles her favourite soft toys {while saying "aaaaaaah"} but will seek out hugs with me, my husband and my mum.  my heart melts every time.

what are your little people up to?

this & that

it feels weird not having eleven questions to answer today!

so to resume normal service, here's a few glimpses of life around these parts lately:

// 1.  in my new bid to remove some of the rubbish from our lives, i have started with bread.  i am attempting to make all of the bread we consume and that way i know and can control exactly what's in it {plus it tastes way better than bought stuff}.  no weird preservatives, no bucket full of salt.  i should point out that i own a bread machine so really, not using it is just plain lazy.  it takes less than 1 minute to get a loaf going then step back, wait, and after 3 hours a fresh loaf of bread appears.  almost like magic.

// 2. this rose next to my bed is probably on its way out but it is still making me smile and brightening our bedroom

// 3. sunday's cake this week was a slap-dash, dig around the cupboards and bake it in a hurry kind of cake.  it was a peach upside down cake and despite being very un-fancy {using tinned peaches} it was really moist and tasted good covered in cream.

// 4, 5 & 6 we gave Ava crayons to play with for the first time and she loved it!  the result was an abstract piece which she tried to explain to me but the profound meaning of which i failed to totally grasp.  expecting a call from the tate gallery any minute now...

the final eleven

having given you a breather over the weekend, i'm back and i have 11 more liebster questions to answer!  are you sick of me yet?  well if so, too bad!!

the final eleven are from momma burd so here we go...

// 1. if you could be an animal for a day what kind would you be and why?

easy: a sloth.  although i am pretty good at pretending like i'm organised and motivated, i'll let you into a little secret: i am inherently lazy.  a proper couch potato, given half the chance.  i love the languid lives sloths seem to lead and i also think they have hilarious faces so i would love to be one for a day to catch up on some laziness {or a week maybe...}.

// 2. are there aliens or no aliens in space, what do you think?

i think we would be naive to think there are no other life forms out there but i have no idea what shape it would take.

// 3. what is your favourite wine, beer or mixed drink?

i am partial to a glass of a good malbec but in the summer my drink of choice is a pink gin {gin and tonic with a slice of lime and a dash of angostura bitters}.  back when i used to go out, you know at night, all dolled up and stuff, i used to like this one particular drink in a cocktail bar in town called a gingerbread man, so soo good.

// 4. if you could have any career in the world what would you do?

i would love to be an author of some successful series of novels so that i could spend my days holed up in my own writing room {which i have already designed in my mind, of course} writing and gazing out of the window and drinking tea.

// 5. what is your go to cleaning supply?

interesting, as i am currently looking to totally overhaul what we use to clean and switch to greener, healthier, cheaper alternatives.  but currently i happen to think cif cream will get dirt off of most things.

// 7. what store can you just not get enough of?

most definitely topshop.  topshop and i have had a long long love affair from when i first started buying my own clothes.  i once spent an entire day in the mammoth topshop at oxford circus in london{there's a restaurant in there so i didn't starve} on my own and it was bliss.  these days our love affair continues more online when i have the time {and money}.

// 8. chocolate or vanilla?

chocolate.  every time.

// 9. if you could invite anyone in the world to tea, from past or present, who would it be and what kind of tea would you serve?

i would invite stephen fry and i would serve proper english breakfast tea and home made buttermilk scones with clotted cream and my home made pear jam.  and i am sure i would be wittier and more clever just from being in his presence and soaking up his awesome personality.

// 10. favourite current TV show

well it was the fantastic Mr Selfridge but that just ended! *sob sob*.  i'm a sucker for a period drama.

// 11. why did you start your blog?

two reasons: to document my adventures in motherhood and Ava changing and growing; and as an incentive to improve my photography skills.  those are the reasons i started although now something that continues to motivate me to blog is the wonderful support and comments i have received and the friends i have started to make online, which i did not expect at all when i started out.

and there endeth our liebster fun.  i had a marvellous time looking at the other blogs nominated by the people who also nominated me and answering the questions and i can't wait to see the answers to my questions!

thanks again house, hennablossom and momma burd!

another day, another cupcake, another book...

... and another 11 questions!  you guys are going to really KNOW ME by the end of this!  i hope that's a good thing... :)

so my next set of questions is from the lovely hennablossom:

// 1. did you collect anything as a child?  

yes i collected stickers but kept them all on their sheets in a bag and never stuck them onto anything!  i also collected key rings from places i visited {or places friends and family went} and still have them all in the loft somewhere.

// 2. if you had the time/money to take any class and learn any skill, what would it be?

so many skills i would like to acquire!  i'll narrow it down to three: i would like to improve my french {our dream is to own a house there one day, so i'll need this skill!}, i would like to learn to knit {although my attempts at crochet have been less than successful} and i would love to learn the piano.

// 3. what is your idea of a dream vacation?

easy, our honeymoon was it.  the PERFECT holiday.  we went to thailand for three weeks and stayed on a lesser known island off the eastern seaboard called koh chang but stayed in four different spots on the island: a hut right on the sand, just 10 steps from the sea; a guesthouse on a river where restaurants would send their boats over to get you and take you back at the end of the evening {surrounded by fireflies}; a hut on stilts right in the ocean; and at the end a luxury fancy pants hotel.  the food we ate everywhere was incredible, the beaches were pristine and largely deserted, the weather was beautiful and we had the most relaxed time, exploring and enjoying each other's company.  *sigh*

// 4. what is the best costume you've ever worn?

i think the best in terms of hilarity has to be when i was a wave in a school play.  yep, a wave.

// 5. what story does your family always tell about you, whether you like it or not?

there are NUMEROUS! i'll just pick one though.  probably when i was only about 4 years old and we went to a drive through and as we pulled away i freaked out and started crying and yelling at my mum that it was dangerous to drink and drive and i had seen it on the TV and we might die!!! {evidently i wasn't aware of the distinction between alcohol and soft drinks}.

// 6. at what age did you feel that you'd become an adult?

i'm still waiting...

// 7. if you could speak any language what would it be?

definitely french.  it's useful as we live so close to france, but mainly i just loooove the sound of it, such a beautiful language.

// 8. in what unexpected ways have you found that you are becoming your mother or father?

i seem to be turning into my mum more and more.  particularly now that i am a mum i find myself doing things with Ava that i remember mum doing with me.  i can't think of anything unexpected though as we've always been simliar so i'm never surprised when i find myself doing something she would do or saying something she would say. it would, however, be very unexpected if i started being tidy like she is! {as mentioned here}.

// 9. what's the most used paint colour in your home?

this is an interesting question as so far we have done zero decorating except for Ava's room.  which is a very pale aqua {think pale version of the tiffany's colour}.  otherwise there are all kinds of colours in this house, white, cream {mercifully some of those}, pink in our bedroom, peach in the spare room, vivid blue in the bathroom, green in the kitchen and red in the lounge.  pretty hideous.  when we redecorate i plant to white wash most of the house in retaliation although i am leaning towards making the lounge snug with a dark colour.

// 10. what's your favourite book, or at least up there?

this is a tough one, i have read so many excellent books over the years.  a million little pieces by james frey was certainly up there in terms of being unlike anything else i had ever read, inspiring and moving.   and three books that i have read several times are wuthering heights, the bronze horseman and great expectations.

// 11. what's your favourite quote?

probably "it is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed" by Roosevelt.

liebster liebster liebster

i'm eating a cupcake as i type.  i'm having a little party to celebrate, you see.  it seems that liebster awards are like buses, as this week i had a total of three passed my way.  THREE??  what an outstanding week for this little blog!!  i was bowled over and so grateful.  thank you so much this little house, hennablossom and momma burd!

if you are not familiar with what a liebster award is check out the three links above to those who nominated me as they have probably explained it better than i will.  but in a nutshell it is an award that bloggers pass on to other bloggers whose blogs they like.  it's a great way of spreading the blog love.  and it is particularly nice for small-time bloggers, like myself.  so you get awarded a liebster by someone, you answer the 11 questions they set, you pass on the award to another 11 blogs that you like and admire and set them 11 questions to answer.  sounds like fun, right?

however, i now have 33 questions to answer.  i don't want you to get bored of me droning on, so i'm going to answer 11 now, and the rest in two batches in later posts.

i'm starting with the questions set by this little house:

// 1. if you were stranded on a desert island what would be your 'must have' item?

probably a book so i wouldn't get too bored.  i can't imagine a life without books.  and i'd probably make it a big one like the complete works of someone.  shakespeare, oscar wilde, lee child...

// 2. what is your biggest fear?

if i'm honest, i think it would be failure.  not that i am a success at everything i do, or expect to be.  i just seem to set really high standards for myself with certain things.

// 3. what is your earliest memory?

sticking stickers on my legs and thinking it was the coolest thing ever when i was probably around two.

// 4. if you could live in any era what would it be?

that's easy: the 1950s.  but it would have to be specifically the place where my mum grew up as this answer is totally governed by my fondness for my mum's tales of her idyllic white-picket-fence childhood.  interestingly though i would want to be a mum then, not a child.

// 5. what is your biggest vice?

it used to be clothes but budget and other financial priorities put a stop to that a few years back.  i used to buy waaaay too many.  right now it is probably lee child books.  those things are ADDICTIVE and i fear they are starting to take over.  i have a to-do list and mounting chores that are being woefully neglected due to those darn page-turners.

// 6. what would be your dream home?

i hope this house will be some day.  when we have refurbished/cajoled/persuaded/forced it back into shape.  i would be happy living here for a long time.  the only thing i would change if money were no problem is i would like to live in the country but i am perfectly content with our small patch of suburbia if that never happens.

// 7. what fact would people be surprised to learn about you?

that i once did a weather forecast on BBC breakfast news {it was part of a competition filmed from the beach here.  i won, but that was my five minutes of fame done.}

// 8. what is relaxation to you?

i love taking a bath and miss it sooooo much to relax.  we do technically have a bath, but it is one of those terrible corner baths and has straight rather than sloped sides so is only relaxing to bathe in if you find sitting ram-rod straight relaxing.  so in the absence of a bath, i like to read to relax but i also find cooking or baking when i'm not starving or pushed for time very relaxing.

// 9. biggest regret?

i try not to have regrets, i try to learn and move on if i can.  i'm sure there are loads of things that i have regretted but no one big regret.  sorry, boring answer!

// 10. favourite all time film?

this is going to be so random and i fear you will judge me poorly based on this answer.  i could lie and think of some amazing foreign art house film that i like, but i am going with the honest answer here.  so, i would have to say "Just Married" with Ashton Kutscher and Brittany Murphy.  i will explain this.  this is the film that my best friend and i watched endlessly when we lived together at university   it has become one of those films that we quote to each other still and laugh at and has somehow taken on more humour and meaning than even the directors would have intended just through our shared experience of it.

// 11. if you could be anyone for a day who would it be?

i'm not sure how much i could achieve in a day, but i would like to be prime minister and have a proper go at sorting some sh*t  stuff out!  :)

now, the {not quite 11} blogs i am passing a liebster on to are:

oyster & pearl
rebekka seale
circle of pine trees
parenting: illustrated with crappy pictures
me and my polar bear
the harrovian mama
dizzy loves icy
abigail and the future
rsevangelista

and their 11 questions to answer are:

// 1. which song would be the soundtrack to your teenage years?

// 2. tell us about a nickname you once had?

// 3. what is the most inspiring movie you have ever seen?

// 4. tea or coffee?

// 5. in the film version of your life, who would you like to play you on screen?

// 6. what one food do you hate/refuse to eat?

// 7. name a book that you have read more than once

// 8. what skill would you like to have that you don't currently possess?

// 9. what are you an expert at? {everyone is an expert at something}

// 10. other than your home, where is your favourite place in the world?

// 11. what have you done in your life that you are most proud of?

anyone who i haven't nominated but who wants to join in, we'd all be interested in your answers to the above questions if you want to post them in the comments or link to your blog :)

11/52

a portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2013

// 11/52 it's still all about the feet here in this little house.  Ava has her very first pair of proper shoes.  although she prefers to play with them than walk in them.  i guess walking in shoes must feel pretty strange when you still haven't fully mastered walking so we just put them on now and then for a few minutes for her to get used to them.

i am just starting to get a glimpse into toddlerhood now and the new joys - and challenges - that it will bring.  on one side there is the pleasure of listening to Ava babble, getting ever closer to speaking and mimicking what she hears, and on the other side there is the new complaining grizzles and grumpiness when she points to something that mummy won't let her have.  i feel the fact that we are just starting out a new chapter very keenly and as always i face the next stage with a mixture of happiness, trepidation {such as, HELP! our house is NOT toddler proof!} and sadness at the end of babyhood.  but mainly i feel fortunate and excited.  it's a wonderful thing, this parenting business :)

this & that

it's been a pretty regular week in this little house; lots of playing, walking, play dates with friends, trips to the shops, reading.  but then there was mothers day, not at all regular and no sunday's cake this week too, so not quite the same old same old.

since having Ava part of me has been increasingly craving a simpler and more mindful life.  having less stuff.  using less stuff.  taking better care of ourselves and the environment.  the idealistic romantic in me kind of wants to sell up, buy a small holding in the middle of nowhere and live largely off-grid in a self sufficient kind of way {perhaps it's soulemama's fault}.  but the realistic part of me knows that buying somewhere in the middle of nowhere in this country would necessitate a lottery win.  and so far, that jackpot has been less than forthcoming {might help if i played}.  at any rate i have brewing in my mind a few projects to make small changes to improve the way we live.  i will of course be sharing, so stay tuned...

as usual, here's a glimpse of the happenings in this little house lately:

// 1. no sunday's cake, but there are tuesday cupcakes cooling and waiting to be iced as i type
// 2. a surprise parcel from a friend who lives in Paris.  the most DIVINE macarons and an ADORABLE dress {i had to use caps there to really show you just how happy i was with these gifts}
// 3. did i mention these were DIVINE?  long gone now, of course.
// 4. mothers day flowers brightening up my kitchen
// 5. a new cardigan crocheted by my amazing mother for Ava
// 6. Ava modelling said new cardigan and sitting on the chair in her nursery like the big girl that she is

happy mothers day!

 // that's one special photo pose //

// mum and i when i was the same age Ava is now //

just a quick hello and happy mothers day to you and yours.  i hope those celebrating {i.e. us in the UK, I think mothers day is later in May or something on the other side of the pond} have had a good day.

Ava has been in THE best, most giggliest mood today, it has been AWESOME.  that is all i could have asked for on this, my first mothers day.  my Mum and i took Ava for a short walk this morning in the bracing ice cold wind along the beach to a cafe that we spent many a sunday at having hot chocolates and chips when i was growing up.  Ava had a marvellous time being nosey and laughing at the dogs {we were in the part of the cafe that allows dogs}, while Mum and i caught up over breakfast, reminisced and laughed with Ava.  this afternoon we hung out with my Mum some more, playing and larking about and then came home and had a very energetic dance party in the kitchen.  who needs the gym when you can dance around swinging and jiggling your {really quite heavy} baby around?!

i feel so thankful to have such an amazing mother who has taught me so much and made me who i am and has inspired me to be the best mother i can be.  she is my rock and my friend and i am so blessed.  and now i am a mummy too i can reeeeaaaallly appreciate what a sterling job she has done.

love you mum! xxx

our day in pictures

//early morning//

//got to keep those toes warm//

//a quick munch on the cot bar//

//she's a morning person//

//mother and daughter breakfast//

//merrily babbling away in the shopping trolley//

//Ava scrutinises her lunch//

//nap time = blogging and cake eating//

//chase Ava around my Mum's place//

//still exploring//

//the odd pause to contemplate life//

//reading a book//

//thai food for dinner, yum//

i had the idea a couple of weeks ago of doing a "photo an hour" post but i didn't quite get that many, so here you have most of our day in photos.

i feel like we're in a blissful maternity leave bubble at the moment but i'm increasingly aware of my impending return to work.  i don't plan to work full time but i know things will be different when the days and weeks don't just roll into one another any more and are punctuated with work for me and going to the childminder for Ava.  so i am trying to treasure each and every day while we are in this wonderful bubble.  that's pretty easy with this gorgeous little person always at my side.  she makes even the mundane {such as a supermarket trip} seem fun.

happy friday all!

penny pinching pavlovas

in my bid to save a few pennies by making rather than buying dessert on the weekends, i have been brainstorming {not literally, like with a white board and pens or anything.  just, you know, in my mind} desserts that can be made from ingredients that we generally already have at home.  so we pretty much always have bananas and we always have eggs {hence last week's banana butterscotch pudding which used both}.  and i happened to have some dessicated coconut in the baking cupboard.  so add in some sugar and some double cream and voilà:  coconut and banana individual pavlovas.

these were reeeeaaaallly good.  the meringue was crispy on the outside and chewy and marshmallowy and coconutty inside.  they were however larger and more filling than i anticipated so i would make four meringues next time instead of three {it was a recipe for 6 that i halved, i didn't just randomly decide to make three}.

if you want to make them, here's how {adapted from the marie claire seasonal kitchen cookbook}:

// ingredients:
2 egg whites
75g icing sugar {although i know caster sugar works fine for meringues too}
1/2 tsp vinegar {i used rice vinegar as that's all i had but white wine or cider vinegar would work the same}
13g dessicated coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
200ml double cream
1 banana, cut on the diagonal {to look fancy}

// method:
1. with an electric whisk beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form
2. whisk in the sugar a third at a time
3. add the vinegar, vanilla extract and coconut and fold in with a metal spoon
4. dollop into four meringue shapes on a baking tray lined with baking paper {make them small and high as they will spread and flatten a bit when they cook}
5. put into an oven preheated to 180 degrees {celsius} and immediately turn down to 150.
6. bake for 45 mins and then turn the oven off, open the oven door slightly and allow to cool
7. when cool, whip the double cream until very soft peaks are just starting to form.  pile onto the meringues and top with the sliced banana.  you could top with any fruit you like really.  the recipe i was using called for passionfruit but they're too expensive here so i did without.
8. nom nom nom

10/52

a portrait of my child, once a week, every week in 2013

// 10/52 Ava wants to try walking all the time now.  yesterday she walked across the bathroom totally unaided which was a new personal best.  i love that when she inevitably lands on her bottom it is followed with a smile and self-congratulatory clap.  too cute.  and just look at those cute chubby baby feet.  i could eat them!

in other news: as suspected, sunday's cake was vastly improved by smothering it with custard.  i would even consider making it again to serve as dessert rather than just to have as a cake.

this messy little mum

in the spirit of sharing the less than perfect parts of life, let me tell you something about us: our house is almost always a mess.  i could blame this on having a baby and not enough time to tidy up but having a baby has only added to the existing mess.  and i feel i should be honest: most of the mess is mine.  i can't help it, i am just a naturally messy person.

i think there are naturally tidy people in life and there are naturally untidy people.  unfortunately i fall into the latter category.  i have a theory {not based on scientific fact, but my own narrow experience}  that you become the opposite of what your parents are with regard to tidiness.  my parents are very tidy people, their home always looks immaculate and as a consequence, i am untidy.  when i lived at home they were always commenting on the state of my bedroom.  part of me suspected that my messiness was an unconscious, small rebellion and that when i had a place of my own i would instantly become more tidy.  now that i have my own home, the only difference is that i really want to be tidy but i just can't seem to help myself from making a mess {i should point out that i am good at keeping the place clean, just not tidy.  the two things are very different in my mind and didn't want you to think our house is disgusting or anything}.

you might think that someone who is messy doesn't spend enough time tidying up.  to all those naturally tidy people out there: this assumption is wrong.  although inherently messy, i long for a tidy home and spend my days like this: make a mess, tidy it up, make a mess, tidy it up... so you see we have more work to do.  take cooking for example.  as you can see i am - unsurprisingly - a messy cook.  as i am the person who generally cleans up the kitchen, it would be in my own interest to tidy as i go along and keep on top of the mess.  somehow, with all the best intentions i end up having used every single utensil and dish in the kitchen without putting any in the dishwasher during the course of cooking a meal.

i feel like there should be a whole industry out there of experts who can cure you of untidiness.  it is like a really bad habit that needs to be kicked.  i would have so much more time if i was just naturally tidy, i'm sure of it.

are you naturally messy or tidy?  maybe the tidy people out there could help us poor unintentionally messy people!

this & that

i am barely holding my eyes open right now so i'll type fast so i can go and have a nap while Ava has her lunchtime nap.  little missy kept me awake from 4am this morning.   before you get your violins out, i don't expect any sympathy seeing as her waking up in the night is extremely rare and so i'm sure last night's shenanigans were just to keep me from being smug with my usually good sleeper.  i think she does it from time to time just to remind me how good i have it normally.

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ok, i couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to photo edit, so i slept, carried on with my day and now i'm back! {what a wuss, one night of disturbed sleep and i'm acting like i haven't slept in weeks}

anyway, sunday's cake was another not-quite-success this week.  it looks pretty good but i'm going to be honest, it's a little on the dry and heavy side.  i plan to make home-made custard tonight {i used two egg whites for something else so will use the leftover egg yolks to make it. i hate waste so using up all of something in this way really pleases me.  well, it's an excuse to make custard at any rate}. i think a warmed slice of the cake will be vastly improved by lashings of custardy goodness.

so here's what else we've been up to lately:

// 1. sunday's cake was rhubarb and sour cream cake
// 2. Ava checking out the hustle and bustle of our favourite cafe in town
// 3. also pulling birdie faces
// 4. it's the kind of eclectic place i love.  not a souless global chain; just vintage chairs, fun staff and cool music that Ava likes to bop to
// 5. and they have lights made of paper coffee cups
// 6. and they do the BEST latte in town
// 7. afterwards we stopped for a play at my parents' place
// 8. the husband and i had a home made pizza and movie night.  it was great, who needs fancy nights out?