quick update

Hey all, I've been away for quite a while and a lot has happened! Hubby and I finally moved out of my parents garage and into our home. I'm having my baby shower in a few days, the baby is due on 2nd July, and we cannot wait to find out what we're having!! We currently don't have the internet at home and may not for another month or so. I can't wait to catch up on all my reader feeds and get back to taking photos and blogging about my little escapades. Until then, feel free to follow me on twitter as I update this fairly regularly from my iPhone.

counting down the days

It's been a fun, creative, trying-to-be-patient sort of month so far. Feels like life has started to get busier again very quickly, and I know in the next months to come it will only increase, and that's great!

We've finally gotten the keys to our new home, and the renovations are already under way! It's starting to look so lovely and it should all be done within the next 2-3 weeks. Then we can finally move in! Since we'll be renting from my in-laws, their whole family is joining in on the fun of stripping the floors for new wooden boards and repainting the walls and doors. It's so lovely to see them all come together to help out, I only wish I could be a part of it! I've always wanted to do home-renovation projects and have been waiting for the day we would have our own place to do it in, unfortunately being pregnant has restricted me from all the fun stuff (heavy lifting, painting fumes, climbing ladders). Hubby says I'm working hard enough already making a baby, he's very sweet :) So for now, I'm just really looking forward to being able to pack up all our things into boxes when the time is right. Not long now till we move!

I've been delving into my creative side once again, and it feels great! Early this year I decided that I'd start designing cards rather than buying them to save costs and to give myself a project. Lately I've been re-designing some of the birthday & thank you cards, and I'm liking how they look. I also made invitations, "eat me" & "drink me" tags, and headed up a DIY body scrub session for my gorgeous friend's bachelorette party, which was Mad Hatter themed. It was held at her parent's home, the decorations looked so lovely and the food was delicious! Guests were invited to bring a plate, I baked banana bread and lemon meringue pie :) My latest creative venture is a second-hand sewing machine my mum bought me a few days ago. After she showed me the basics and then reading through the manual I felt I finally understood how it worked. I've started making something I plan to use for my upcoming baby shower. I'll be taking photos again soon so there's proof I'm not making this all up :)

All this craft & designing & baking has gotten my creative juices flowing, and really has me wanting to open up my own shop of sorts. Not so much for the money but rather because I love making things too much to let them collect dust, and there's only so many people I know that appreciate handmade gifts. I've considered using Etsy, but wonder if there's any other way of selling things online that works best with the AUS$. Or more importantly, would anyone actually like what I make enough to buy it?

planning planning planning

Still getting over a chest infection, but have started collecting ideas for my baby shower! I won't be having it till June so I'm just gathering inspiration for how I'd like to decorate. The theme is: rain. How original for a baby shower! Haha :) But I just looove when it rains, and clouds and raindrops are so cute, and since I don't what the baby is I figured this would be a fun way to bring in turquoise as a neutral colour.

I've also been making a few things for my friend's bachelorette party. It is Mad Hatter tea party themed, and I spent the day making "eat me" and "drink me" tags yesterday and will be baking banana bread and lemon meringue pie the day of the party. Not to mention that hubby and I will be moving within a week of her party too so there will be a lot of packing to be done amidst the party planning. Then once we've moved it will be lots of unpacking and organising and settling in.

I cannot wait to unpack as I loooove organising, especially in categories, ie alphabetically, size, genre (I'm thinking of our books, dvds, and kitchen cupboards). Yes, I am a dork and will go so far as to start categorising items placed in random order at dvd stores, much to the disdain of my husband (but I know he secretly loves it!) And unpacking means finally getting to use all the bridal shower and wedding gifts we were given over a year ago that have been in storage. It's like birthdays and christmas all rolled into one!

past few days

I've been sick with a chest infection/flu for the last week. It seems like it's hit me a lot harder than past years now that I'm pregnant, my lungs felt bruised every time I coughed! Not fun. But I am taking baby-safe antibiotics and am slowly recovering. Time spent in bed has been passed with the first season of Gossip Girl (which was entertaining enough), reading Nana and my favourite magazines from New Zealand: Your Home & Garden and World Sweet World. I wish they were available in Australia! Especially since these are much more suited to my taste than most of the home renovation magazines here; most of them cover only country or unaffordable-modern styles. Except Real Living, which I find is great with tips & tricks and has an affordable diy approach which I plan to apply when decorating our new home in the future. And I am seriously counting down the days till we move out, only a few more weeks and I cannotwait&amsoexcited!

sleepy owlette

Gentle Raindrop is no more. Welcome to Sleepy Owlette! Some may wonder why the sudden name change, especially since it means that anyone that may have been following me will no longer know where I am... That was a risk I took, and besides, other than the newly added "Followers" widget on the side I wouldn't have had any idea anyone was reading this other than myself and the few that left comments. So to those that did I have tried to reconnect by leaving new comments on their lovely blogs. Hope that helps, and thanks to all the lovely people that actually read my ramblings!

Anyhow, the reason I decided to change blog name was due to a sleepless night, thinking of all the fun the future holds when my little bundle of joy arrives. My hubby and I are sooo completely excited. Any time the baby kicks and I let him know so he can try to feel with his hand on my belly, we get completely googly-eyed and mushy and that "I'm so happy right now I could cry" look in our eyes. Since finding out about the baby, I have bought only one piece of clothing so far. This is not without effort, and the fact that we're waiting till the birth to find out if it's a girl or boy has actually been helpful, if frustrating. So in essence, the name change is in honour of our baby. :)

'afternoon tea' challenge: lemon meringue pie

Last Thursday I had my first run at making lemon meringue pie. The recipe was actually pretty easy and consisted of three parts: the base, the filling and the meringue. I was a bit worried how it would work out as I'd never made any of these before but I found them all really simple to make and the result was surprisingly really yummy! This is definitely something I want to bake again. The best part? My non-lemon-loving hubby liked it so much he had seconds.

It's 2am, I feel wide awake and hungry (crazy pregnancy). Scary things happen when staying up late in Aussie summer! I'd forgotten how many flies and bugs will swarm towards whatever light is kept on in the dark of night. The last time I remember experiencing this was back in high school days, which is over six years ago. Now I feel itchy and paranoid that they're crawling on me..

On a happier note, my sister-in-law gave birth to adorable Abigail Jane yesterday! Despite attempting a natural birth, after 24 hours in labour she had an emergency C-section. I had expected this to scare me but instead, after looking at her baby's gorgeous little face and watching her yawn, I absolutely cannot wait to give birth and meet my own little baby despite all the pain that comes with it. You can see a photo of baby AJ here.

ready to take on 2010

After watching 'Julie & Julia' on dvd a few weeks ago I was reminded of my own blog, all forlorn and forgotten. I realised a lot had changed since I last posted, and so will give a brief summary:

In mid-October: I was made redundant just before completing a full year.
As shocked as I was I had also expected this to occur in the near future, but didn't think it would for another few months. At the same I was glad and at peace about finishing up working there as I had started to resent accepting the role despite the gut feeling I had during the interview for the role, the gut feeling telling me that this was not the right place for me. Despite all, I learned a lot of life skills being there and so was excited for whatever was coming ahead in life.

About one week later: I discovered I was pregnant.
I was a month overdue and had been having horrible cramps constantly for a week straight. I was worried that this was due to a cyst that had previously been found in my left ovary, and I was scheduled to have key-hole surgery in January to remove and test it for cancer. So the morning after a week of cramps and worry I went to the doctor to have a blood test done. That afternoon hubby and I went to get the results to find out if it gave an indication of what might be causing the pain. What I'll never forget is the feeling of being told we were going to have a baby. It was complete and pure joy, the same feeling I had felt on our wedding day upon being told Adam and I were husband and wife. We had previously been told that it was highly unlikely that I would fall pregnant as the cyst present in one of the ovaries would prevent it from producing eggs. So this is our miracle baby.

Since then: I am growing and maturing.
I am enjoying the crazy journey of pregnancy with the support for family and friends, and am excited to meet our little bub. I am learning how to be a better wife-lover-friend to my husband and be less selfish, and desire that my heart will expand to embrace those around me so that I may love others better. I am praying that I will be a loving, nurturing mother. I am learning to take better care of our bedroom home and am looking forward to moving out in May, to make that house a home that is welcoming to all who step in, and to finally play with all the wedding gifts we've got as they have all been stored away till we move. Most of all, I am trusting that Jesus' love will always be at the core of all that I do, that I the way I live my life and love myself and others will be in a direct response to His love for us.