comfort food

This weekend saw a bit of an extravagant food amount being consumed. Mr Lavender figured that, since we're pretty much home-bound 24/7 (and therefore not spending anything on restaurants anymore), we may as well splash out on luxury food on Saturdays and Sundays and treat ourselves to some yummy stuff from our local (and very pricey) butcher's shop and deli. Hence this feast last Saturday...

...T-bone steak bigger than my hand, gratin dauphinois with oodles of cream, and - why not - one of our vintage bottles of Margaux from what seems like a lifetime ago. The life!
Unfortunately it didn't stop there, as I'd decided earlier in the day to treat the man to some homemade muffins. Muffins are a sure way to get to a man's heart in just under an hour!

 

I always make my own chocolate chips with Poulain chocolate. I am not against read-made chips, but they lack the nostalgic taste that Poulain will always have for me.Plus, it's quite fun to have bigger bits every now and then in your muffin.

baby bliss

Baby booties are just the cutest. Nothing come anywhere near them in terms of cuteness factor in my opinion (well, my kitty flats are not far off!). Luckily the weather has been just cold enough to allow us to put some of those on. I love that four of those pairs were handmade too! I'm not sure I would have the patience to make such intricate little things. Hats off to those who do!

All our baby shoes were gifts from friends and family. The white mat come from the charity shop around the corner, but I was pleasantly surprised -once I got home and inspected it properly- to see that it originally came from The White Company. At £3.99, I think I got a definite bargain!

sewing problem solved

About two months ago, I hit a first big problem with my beloved Singer sewing machine - the dreaded tension went all funny on me. Read all about it here.
Then, of course, the small matter of giving birth and becoming a mum got in the way of my doing anything about the problem.
Once I got over the shock of that, my dad had a go at fixing said problem. Read about it here. Then, out of the blue...it was fixed! Not by a repairman, but by the flick of a dial....It turns out that my machine does not like its needle to be on its right position. It only wants to sew with the needle in the centre. Simple as that! No more funny tension.

Has anybody else experienced this kind of tantrum with their Singer?

Anyway, the good news is that I have been able to sew a bit in the last couple of days...well, during baby's naps, and when I am not busy cooking / cleaning / putting another washing on / drying my hair (the ultimate luxury!) / keeping 5 minutes just to myself.

It's been so good to sew again! I am making good progress with my sewing project, and hope to show the finished product in the next couple of days. In the meantime, here's an idea of what it's starting to look like.

simple lunch

sleeping beauty

Another day, another cute baby snap I couldn't resist. Now, I know one is not supposed to let baby sleep on her tummy, but during a day nap I often allow it. She just seems so comfy, doesn't she?

 In other news, excellent news...my sewing machine has ended its moody patch and we have at long last made up...yeah! More on that later. 

more cherry blossoms

Each week brings its new lot of cherry blossoms, and this week they seem even more pleasing than last week - if that's possible! I am loving them, and they are really inspiring me to sew something with them in mind - not sure what yet, but I will be looking into it as soon as possible. I have really missed sewing lately, and can't wait to get creative again.
Objectively, I don't think I have any excuses anymore. Baby Lavender turned six weeks yesterday, and we have a pretty good routine going, so things should be easier. With a bit of luck (and some organising on my part) you will soon be able to see more sewing than flowers on this blog...you must be flowered-out by now, aren't you?

The white blossoms are completely awesome. It looks like great big cotton balls hanging from a distance! OK - enough with the flowers, I hear you say...I get it!!

flowers