Monday, January 19, 2015

36

Rob baked my birthday cake, Nigella's Blonde Mocha Cake.

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I think a birthday is a good time to take stock, I've been meaning to do this blog post for some time.

Making: the most of leftover roast chicken with a salad for dinner tonight.
Cooking: I need to cook a pavlova using my new pavlova plate (seen above with my birthday cake on it), as you can cook it straight onto the serving plate.
Drinking: Lanson Champagne (a birthday treat for myself).
Reading: I have been on a roll, after nearly a year-long break from reading fiction. I finished my two Christmas books from Rob, both Alexander McCall Smith. I finally finished Mr Wigg, which has sat next to my bed as I found it so poignant, and could see the end coming. Next up is the Book Thief.
Wanting: Some Ridgeline Pottery dinner plates.
Looking: at the Australian Open tennis online, after missing my annual tennis fix for the last three summers.
Playing: Taylor Swift's "Shake it off" on a loop just to see the girls dance.
Wasting: home grown lettuce on the girls, we hopefully put it on their plate every time we eat it, but they are not fans.
Sewing: um, nothing.
Wishing: for summer to return after a week of rain and wind.
Enjoying: Call the Midwife and Sherlock on iView. Late to the party, but that's ok. Except that I cry in every episode of the former, every birth, no matter what the outcome, big fat tears rolling down my face.
Waiting: for the girls to sleep through the night, any tips?
Liking: the abundance of flowers in our picking garden at the moment.
Wondering: how I will cope tomorrow with my first day at work after a month's holiday.
Loving: my little family.
Hoping: to blog a little more this year.
Marvelling: at the expanding vocabulary of Maggie and Elisabeth, and the way they are actually starting to talk to each other.
Needing: a hair cut.
Smelling: the oriental lilies from the garden, the tree like Barbaresco.
Wearing: my pyjamas of course!
Following: Lisa Kingston, a local flower farmer on Instagram, and working up the courage to ask if I can come and learn how to make up bunches of flowers.
Noticing: how big the ornamental pear trees that line our driveway have grown.
Knowing: I should go to bed.
Thinking: not sure how much conscious thinking goes on for me at the moment.
Bookmarking: children's toys for buying next year for the girls birthday and Christmas!
Opening: lovely thoughtful gifts and cards from my family and friends. Rob's special gift was a set of black pearls. They are beautiful.
Giggling: at the Evian baby ads.
Feeling: grateful.

I might try to do this again once a month.....

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I love your list! We should all take stock once in a while :)
I've recently started reading fiction again after a long break. I'm reading 'The Goldfinch.' It's very good.
Not sure I have any tips on getting the girls to sleep through the night... Good luck with that one!
xx

Anonymous said...

I don't mean to sound cruel, and after their start in life I know why you've comforted them for so long, but your girls are two. I think the only thing you need to do now is leave them in their own beds all night. Don't get them out, even to comfort them. Just go in and shush them if they cry then go back to your own bed. They are old enough and smart enough to handle it. Just tell them that they're old enough to sleep all night in their own room now and that's it. They will adapt quickly.

They may also be old enough to move out of cribs. Would they sleep better or worse if they could share a larger mattress together?

Unknown said...

Not sure why I never seem to be able to post on your blog any more! I wished you Happy Birthday yesterday but it didn't show up. I'm trying again! Happy Birthday Marian!

Tara said...

I love this. I might just do one too, once a month...maybe :)

I read somewhere that sleeping through the night is a milestone like any other. They'll do it in their own time when they are ready. It gives me hope when, for the 5th time I get up to comfort/feed/both Little Man.

Clare said...

Marian, I love your list so much that I'm going to copy and paste it to my blog on my birthday entry! (if that's ok?)
PS. To make sure Thea slept 'through the night' or just as big a stretch as she could, we fed her, and still do on occasion, in the bath. We found that she was so distracted playing with her bath toys that she would just accept the food we gave her. We figured a full tummy=a good night's sleep! The things we do… x

MargaretP said...

A few tips for sleep, physical activity during the day, full tummy, plus ,water as well as milk, some kids get thirsty in light sleep cycles.
If the girls are not staying covered, dress them in enough layers to replace blankets, as we all get chilly when we sleep.
If they disturb, no light, no eye contact, no talking, just gentle, slow rubbing or patting, with a constant, quiet ssshhhhssshhhssshhh, there is something very calming about that sound for little ones and it usually makes them drowsy, maybe a memory of your blood flow noise from pre birth.
hope you find something that works.

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