Sad times

We've had some very sad news this week. One of the Mums in our little community committed suicide just recently, leaving behind a 1 year old daughter and hubby. I met her a couple of times, but I didn't really know her very well. Apparently she was suffering from Post Natal Depression, and no one realised quite how serious it was.

It's really made me very grateful for the support I have of my husband, family and friends, as I know I could have easily got PND after the birth of BabyM.

I don't really know what to do now. I never met her husband, but I want him to know he's not alone. I think a few of the girls who did know her are going to get in touch, so I've asked them to include me in anything they do to help.

There's also a lady in the village raising her 6 year-old granddaughter by herself, and she really needs some support so I'm going to get in touch with her and see if I can drop round for a coffee one day.

A bit of R&R

My lovely mother has been with us since 17th July, and I tell you, it's bliss. I've hardly had to do anything around the house, BabyM is constantly entertained and is saying loads more words, and the freezer is gradually filling with family-sized meals in preparation for the arrival of BabyLentil.

Project Update

• Scrapbooking - still got the journalling to finish on this, probably won't get round to it until after Mum's gone.
  
• Mainly Music program - ALL DONE! Animal theme and Father's Day themed programs are recorded and in the folder all ready for use, we've done the Animal songs for a couple of weeks now, and the kids are loving the new ones!
  
• Great Lakes Tournament Market - this is going very slowly, but we've had a couple of confirmed bookings.
  
• Knitting - Current finger puppets are yellow chicks, I'm knitting the body/head and then going to make wings from feathers and beaks from felt, and probably stick googly eyes on.
  
• Photography - nothing done on this yet
  
• Website - I'm going to build up my stock first, then get this finished and online once I have something to use it for!
  
• Bubs Bulletin - Still on hold til other projects done
  
• Toy Library AGM - I really must set the date for this. I need to give people a months notice, so I've got til mid August really.
  
• SIL window sign -Two coats done, I just need to take off the stencils and tidy up any rough edges.
  

Night on the tiles

OK, so BabyM has an ear infection poor love, but at least we can do something about it, so the antibiotics start today. She's staying at Nana's tonight, while hubby and I go out for dinner with his work crowd. We're off to a buffet restaurant, and I think I'm going to be the only pregnant one there. There are a couple of other pregnant women at hubby's work, but they seem convinced that they can't eat from a buffet, so they aren't going - silly beggers. I checked with my midwife, and I can have hot buffet food, I just have to avoid salads and seafood (which I will be doing anyway, seeing as it's winter!).

Project Update

SIL window sign - the first coat is on and drying. It looks pretty good considering I've never done anything like that before, so once it's dry I'll take off the stencil and neaten up the edges. Then that will be DONE! I love crossing things off the list.

Project List

OK, here's what I have on the go that needs to be finished:

• Scrapbooking - journaling to finish on the UK trip album and possibly a little more embellishment on some of the pages. I'm also planning a mini album for BabyM with a single picture of each member of her close family on each page, I think Christmas will be a good time to gather the pictures for this one.
• Mainly Music program - Animal theme for the next month or so, then a Father's Day theme for September. We'll be having an Animal Theme Day on 21st August, and I think that will be the last MM I attend until after NewBaby is born.
• Great Lakes Tournament Market - this is underway, just trying to get bookings for stalls now. I need to follow up some emails with phone calls really, and I keep putting it off
• Knitting - I've been making finger puppets and balls and I intend to use up all my wool scraps on these before I start any new knitting projects (yeah, right!)
• Photography - I have a few nice arty pictures I've taken which I plan to frame and sell, some of them are printed, some are still on the computer awaiting printing. I may upload them onto my online photo service, rather than printing them myself, as they'll come out looking a lot more professional. I also have a load of pictures from our honeymoon, along with two gorgeous kauri albums which need combining, but this is continually being put to one side in favour of exciting new projects! Finally, I have the professional photos we had taken of BabyM which really need framing and hanging.
  
• Website - I'm learning HTML in an attempt to set up my online catalogue/shop where I'll be selling all these bits I'm making
• Bubs Bulletin - Waiuku is in need of a directory for parents of pre-schoolers. A lot of people don't realise just how much there is for tots to do around here!
• Toy Library AGM - I need to set the date for this, write my report and my letter of resignation - ONE less thing to worry about next year!
• SIL window sign - I've volunteered to paint my sister-in-law's office window with her name, never done it before, so keep your fingers crossed!

Phew! I don't realise quite how much I get involved in sometimes!

Ill baby :(

Poor BabyM is not well. She has a temperature and just wants to sleep or sit on the sofa and have cuddles. We're off to the doctors tomorrow to see if she's got an ear infection, as she's been poking at her ears and gets very upset if I try and look at them for her. She's still drinking plenty of water and milk and eating a little, so I'm not too worried. Poor little mite is really not herself though :(

Project Update

I went scrapping on Tuesday night, BabyM went straight to sleep in the travel cot, and I spent a lovely evening getting some of my journaling done in my UK trip scrapbook. With a bit of perseverance I should have it completed while Mum's here, as she can watch BabyM for me, so I can do a few more scrapping evenings!

Nothing else done as yet as most evenings have been busy with other things. I have a committee meeting coming up on Sunday too, which will be my day off, so I'll have a bit of admin from that to do too.

I think I need to sit down and work out my project list deadlines again!

Projects are GO!

Now we have BabyM sleeping again, I feel like I can get on with my projects again. Today I have my "day off" where hubby takes charge of BabyM for the day, leaving me to get on with whatever project I'm working on.

The first thing completed was a few more emails about the Great Lakes Tournament. This is a jousting tournament organised by Company of the Lance, and involves jousting, foot combat, re-enactment and a medieval themed market. My job is to book the stalls for the market. I organised it last year, and it went reasonably well, but I'm hoping this year will be much better. The guys know I won't be able to be on site to organise (due to Baby2), but I'm going to get all the bookings done and sorted so all they have to do on the day is direct people to their sites.

The craft projects are about to start too, I've finished knitting BabyM's hooded scarf, and it's come out very well considering I didn't have a pattern to work from, so now I'm onto making little knitted balls for babies. I'm going to fill them with different things to make interesteding textures and sounds and then add them to my stock ready for a stall in the summer (or to add to the web catalogue, depending on what comes up first!)
I've also finally got back in touch with my scrap-booking buddies, and we're all getting together on Tuesday night, so I intend to get my UK trip scrapbook all finished then.

Photos soon!

Onwards and upwards

OK, we have BabyM back in her cot and she's sleeping a lot better, both during the day and at night, so hubby and I are beginning to feel human again.

I have my first potential customers for Usana, which is very exciting, and I've started getting some advertising out in the local area, so I hope this is the start of it taking off.
I've finally got rid of the broken Sizzix machine that was sitting in my spare room and looking malevolent, and I've almost finished knitting BabyM's new hooded scarf SO I think I am getting somewhere with my projects at last.
While I'm in knitting mode I'll be using up all the odds and ends of wool I have to make a batch of toys for sale, so I'm hoping to have them underway this week. I'll be posting info once they are ready.