30 days of photos - Day 1: Out my window

day one of the '30 days of photos' themed photography project.



Its a pretty miserable day outside today, but the condensation kinda looks pretty :)

30 days of photos

Its my last month at home before my maternity leave ends and I head back to work. To both celebrate and commiserate that event, I'm going to spend the last 30 days taking a picture of something, to try and get back into being creative and feel like ME again.

Inspired by the '30 days of me' blogging exercise, this is a project that follows a similar suit. The aim of the game is to take a picture each day that follows a pre determined theme (see below). For me its a way of getting back into photography and helping with the blogging thing too :)

I encourage anyone who wants to join in!

Themes are:
1. Out my window
2. Inside my bag/wallet
3. Happiness
4. Changed me for life
5. Black and white
6. Inspired by a poem
7. Capture the season
8. Scarred
9. Someone I love
10. Textured
11. A ritual or habit
12. Passed down
13. Sadness
14. A present
15. On my fridge
16. Lyrics
17. Shadows or darkness
18. An object I love
19. Light
20. Friendship
21. A memory
22. Something on your body
23. Patterns
24. Envious
25. A goal for the future
26. Something forever
27. My favourite colour
28. Family
29. Pride
30. Transformation


Stay tuned for today's installment...

♥ list

Can't get over the beautiful photos from this newborn shoot
by my Divine Sis Heather.

More locket love.

And these purfumed ones are interesting too...


Sunset on weeds by Maria Melee.
Reminds me summer is on its way.

Love this outfit.

 Very cute ring!

 

Cafe au Lait baby wrap love.

Loving My Girl Thursday, she has an awesome
giveaway going on, go check it out!

Sleeping beauty

I love how babies sleep with their arms slung above their heads like that :) Unlike ZJ, This little girl could take or leave the swaddling. She doesn't seem fussed either way as long as she is warm.

A morning ritual

I love Zander and I's morning routine. He is such a sweetheart in the mornings, so keen to be awake! and up! and Doing Stuff! Which is basically how i feel first thing, even when I'm sleep deprived. The grumps don't usually start until mid morning for me.

At the moment, because [luckily for us] both Simon and I are home, we have a routine where i go to bed earlyish, around 9pm usually leaving Evie with Simon for her last feed of the night at around 11pm after which he brings her to the cot in our room and comes to bed. I will do the early morning feed (usually around 4-5am) and snooze until Zander wakes up at 6:30-7 and get up with him leaving Evie in the room with Simon to wake up with later.

Every morning is basically the same. Some times it scares me how routined my kid is and i wonder if its because we all like routines and therefore stick to them, or whether hes a liiiitle bit OCD.

When i go in there, he usually pretends to hide under a toy or his duvet and then pulls it away quickly as in a 'surprise! I'm here!' (duh :P) kinda way. Then he will stand up and gesture at the curtains which are to be opened. Sometimes he waves at the outside world and my heart melts a little. Then he will turn and gesture to all the assortment of toys and dummies he has thrown out of the cot over night, they must all be securely back in the cot before we move onto getting him up and dressed. I make an airplane noises and swish him around as I lower him to the floor to change his nappy. He will hold the benpathen cream for me as i do so.
After that we wave bye bye to the room and the window and the toys (he does this at least, i just wait patiently at the door as he says goodbye to EVERYTHING) and go into the kitchen where he will proceed to gesture at the things he not allowed but have been left out (remotes, glasses etc etc) and then help me unpack the dishwasher and make breakfast.

Every morning, I make myself a cup of Miloffee (milo and coffee mixed together :P) in a huge mug to have while he munches on his breakfast.

We usually watch Paul Henry say something mad on Breakfast or crap on Playhouse Disney. Sometimes we cuddle on the couch a bit or on the floor. Sometimes I get abandoned as he goes off to find toys or sometimes I surf the internet while he potters around. By the time this is all done and dusted I'm usually being handed Evie to feed while Simon showers.

I'm going to miss these little moments when I go back to work. I hope I can somehow compact it into a new faster routine so we can still do it.

Evie Claire, 6 weeks old

She doesn't seem to like to sleep alone during the day. Simon or I either usually end up having her on us somehow, which is fine when the sling doesn't have puke all over it and sometimes I end up sitting at a computer trying to hold her with one arm holding her, a leg propped up on the washing basket to support and typing one handedly. Sometimes if ZJ is asleep as well, Evie and I will pile onto of Simon and watch TV.

Oddly, she is fine sleeping by herself at night in her cot. Even more oddly, she seems to sleep better in her cot or at least get back to sleep better (say after I feed her) if Simon is snoring. Go figure.

Be an optimist prime

I think I need to learn to live by this wonderful bit of artwork..

♥ list

Loving this weeks lot even more than usual!

Would it be wrong to get this mobile for my daughter?
Ok what about for me then?

I really love this tunic by Larimeloom. Been thinking about it all week
believe it or not. I wonder how hard it would be to make myself, but
due to the sewing machine issue, it would have to be by hand?

And also love this one by Isabelamyo too!

 Wishing the burp clothes i practically live in were as cool as these ones.

 

 Love this Divine Diptych pairing by Bellybuttongirl and M.Fayre.

 

I have serious thing for lockets. Large ones too.

I think this will be my indulgent purchase out of my Nice Things Fund.

(Which is sadly looking bleak right now!)

Zeej, haxoring the internets

What is eating my mint!?

We have a little tiny herb garden, (thanks to my mama who got us set up!) and its been growing pretty well despite the cold blast and endless rain since we planted.

The mint has been going especially mad with lots of new growth and its actually so heavy that we need to harvest leaves off it so it stands up... bUT i went out there yesterday and noticed THIS BLACK STUFF eating away at one of them...



WHAT IS IT!? and more importantly, how do i get rid of it?
Bear in mind i have a young boy who likes to eat everything so pesticides or whatever probably are a no go. Is it curtains close for the Mint?

Also I have noticed something eating the other mint too.. Observe:


In better news, the strawberries are starting to flower :)

Spring..

...as seen from our deck.

My aunties ♥ me!

Not quite 100% sure who is behind the gift we got in the mail the other day. The kiddos have so many aunts!
I can only assume its either My Chachas or My Divine ladies.

Either way, whoever it is, thankyou you so much :D

There is also a little onesie which i guess is for Evie, but its a little too big for her, I tried putting it on but she just swims in it!



BTW, a big thankyou to all the lovely people who wished me a happy birthday, It has been a really lovely few days

♥ list,

Queen Bee necklace by Mylavaliere on Etsy.

Love this tank top by MaLaMiNaKaNo.

 Summer is coming! Casual long dress by Aftershowershop

Love this image by Desiree over at So Fawned

This is something I wanted to do,
but some people just do it better!


Found this one while searching through images from last year.

Birthday Cupcakes

Sent to be by the lovely Zoe. They are so pretty that I don't wanna eat them!

Cupcakes make by Send A Chocolate Cake in Three Kings, Auckland.

Playground fun

Today was the first nice day (as in sun out for more than 3 seconds) in forever. I wanted to get ZJ out of the house and let off some steam, so we all rugged up and went down to the local park to have a play and a run around. We took the pram and the stroller, but Simon walked with him most of the way, I was pretty impressed with his little legs.

He had a go on the slide, seesaw and swing. He held on for dear life on the swing but looked to be really enjoying it. The slide and seesaw were his obvious favourites.





I can't believe how much he has changed it into a little boy in the space of a couple of months.

He is such a wee dude.

A comparison

When Evie was born and was safely tucked into Simon's arms as they stiched me up, We couldnt help but notice how much she looked like her brother when he was first born. Her little chin all quivering as she cried was the exact replica of her older brothers...it was amazing.


Anyway, I thought I would post a wee comparison of the two of them.

Zander


Evie



What do you think?

Um. Want.

 no people... I have camera lust. Again.

Presenting... The Fujifilm INSTAX MINI Film Camera.

I really want one of these wee things, they look like so much fun!

Pictures come out like business card sized polaroids, awesome huh!?

I'm not sure what rock i was hiding under when these things came out, but I wish i had gotten one when i had money to burn!

Zander, 19 months

And a year ago...


I can't believe how fast my little baby is turning into a little boy.

♥ list

September apparently means spring over here. Its a still a bit cold but the on and off rain has been typical spring weather that is for sure. since so far my ♥ lists have been somewhat themed by colour (This hasnt been on purpose, its just something weird i do?), I can only assume spring and the new growth has inspired this week's colour.

Speaking of spring being sprung, this was Zander,
taken a year ago in the first few days of spring..
Can you believe how much he has grown.

Just something about this that makes me happy.

Kirkjubøur - Faroe Islands by Felix van de Gein.

Once upon a time, I had a date in this sleepy little village.

These are really cool. Knowing me I would loose
them just as much as the plastic ones though?

G33k? Custom Handmade Game Pet Murloc Tadpole.

And just as cute, my niece Heidi.