Miss Kitty-Cat goes to town

Little Bird.

2012-02-07T08:34:00.001+11:00

I am obsessed with buying things with birds on them for our little girl. Perhaps it's something to do with the fact we call her "little birdie" as a nickname but I really do find them so cute. My latest purchase is probably one of the cheapest I have come across - attempting to be Frugal in February.

This little wonder is from Bonds. Baby G lives in Bonds when she's at home. It's cheap, comfy, easy to wash and there are plenty of styles that don't go over her head (something she's not fond of). It's $16.95 but there's 30% off if you purchase before 5pm on Wednesday plus the additional 10% off for liking the item on Facebook, bringing it down to $10.68. If that's not being Frugal, I don't know what is.

I'm off to try and avoid the Baby's Got Style sale.

Kitty

The best things are often the most simple.

2012-02-06T08:28:00.003+11:00

It's the small things in life that now give me so much pleasure. Spending time in the sunshine, enjoying the warmth (not something we've had a lot of in Sydney so far this year); baking the occasional cake or muffins for Mr K and the simple pleasure of a warm croissant eaten with homemade jam.

I think I enjoyed it.

Kitty xx

PS: Croissant is from Apple Annie's in Castlemaine. Their pastries are insanely good. They do this orange brioche filled with Cointreau cream.....

Navy blues.

2012-02-03T17:18:00.000+11:00

It's no secret I am a fan of nautical fashion. Love it. And now I am about to add the I'm a Sydney Shop Girl Too necklace to my wardrobe, I think it's time I expand my sailor style wardrobe.

I'm thinking about buying this dress. From Sportscraft, it would look divine with the necklace. And it's only $120 which is nice and thrifty.

I have a number of stripey tops, including this cardigan:

Another Sportscraft purchase, it's been re-released this season. And with good reason - it's sassy and very on trend. And it goes well over black which is my staple at the moment.

Any other nautical suggestions?

Kitty

Accessory decisions.

2012-02-01T19:07:00.000+11:00

So I made my choice about the RPE necklaces last week - In the end I chose Everything's Peachy and Crystals are Forever.

My plans to manifest some well needed summer weather with Everything's Peachy worked. We had the hottest evening in Sydney since last summer. Go figure - apparently I'm magic.

I'm now on the hunt for a suitably peachy lipstick to go with the new necklace. I have MAC Cosmo but I think it might be a tad beige/brown. I'm after something peachy pink in a matte or satin (no frost or sheers). Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Kitty

Birthday.

2012-01-30T20:35:00.002+11:00

This week, it's my birthday. Very exciting, although I have been too busy recently to get in the mood fully. I'm turning 36 which is a bit of a weird age. It's not 35 which is a nice round number but it still seems ages away from 40. Plus I feel like it's such a long time since I turned 35...

As per usual, Mr K and I chose my presents together (such a long history of average gifts and lots of angst on Mr K's part have led us to this point - a place we are both comfortable). I'm collecting a Limoges tea set so he bought me two plates to add to that and this beautiful pearl bracelet from Bower Haus. I love baroque pearls - their unusual knobbly shape is modern yet classical.

I also got a beautiful Emile Henry pie dish. I can't wait to use it.

It was the Baby's first visit to Peters of Kensington and I'm fairly certain it will be her last for a while. You definitely can't use the pram in there and anticipating that, we popped her in the Ergo which she loved but there was so much going on she was overwhelmed. We fed her over lunch in the cafe and while she was very well behaved, the people and bright lights and cluttered nature of the store meant that she was overstimulated. Luckily we only had a few things to get so we were in and out within a few hours (including lunch). Thank goodness you can purchase most things online or over the phone.

Kitty

Every girl needs a pair of leopard shoes...

2012-01-28T17:48:00.003+11:00

And by girl, I am of course referring to Baby G. Check out these beauties I bought her today.

From Seed - where else?

Kitty

PS: And yes, I probably need to be reminded that babies don't actually wear shoes...

P.P.S: I went in to buy her eminently practical plain white leggings for under dresses...

Busted.

2012-01-23T11:55:00.002+11:00

We had our new mattress delivered this morning. Within five minutes, this happened:

So busted, Mr Max.

Kitty

Pop!

2012-01-21T20:34:00.000+11:00

Red Phoenix Emporium recently released their 2012 Summer "Pop" Collection - and I have to say I am struggling to choose my favourite piece. Really struggling. There are so many gorgeous necklaces in this collection and given my currently lifestyle, I can only really justify buying one at the moment... Well, maybe two...

Return of the Audrey features beautiful white baroque pearls, black faceted agate, crystal cubes, and smoky quartz. It's elegant, stylish and chic, but I wonder if it would life the monotony of my all black wardrobe?

Everything's Peachy features beautiful rose jade beads, crystal and white faceted agate and would be perfect for summer. However, given summer hasn't really arrived in Sydney (it's thunderstorming as I write this in my woollen cardigan) I'm not sure I'll get the wear out of this one, beautiful though it is. On the flipside, maybe I can manifest summer by wearing it?

The I'm a Sydney Shop Girl Too necklace is a special collaboration with the popular and ever so stylish blogger Sydney Shop Girl. Featuring shiny faceted navy agate, crystal cubes and baroque freshwater pearls, it can be worn long or as a short double strand necklace using the joiner clasp provided. It would be perfect worn with a nautical theme, which is oh so popular at the moment.

The Party like it's 1920 necklace features black and white smooth round agate and Chinese turquoise four petal cherry blossom flowers. You can wear this necklace wrapped twice around your neck or long, flapper style. I love the turquoise and really think you can dress this up or down.

The Crystals are Forever necklace is gorgeous. Featuring a triple strand of crystals, I could see myself getting a lot of wear from this one. It's trans-seasonal, and like diamonds, goes with everything. It reminds me of large chunks of ice strung around your neck. Very Bond Girl.

So... I'm thinking that perhaps The I'm a Sydney Shop Girl Too necklace might be my favourite... But there are still contenders. I think it'll have to ponder my decision a little further... Or maybe just buy them all...

What do you think?

Kitty

PS: You can enter the giveaway for the I'm a Sydney Shop Girl Too necklace over at SSG's Blog. In the words of the Immortal Faux Fuchsia, run, don't walk people!

The pavlova you have when you are too lazy to make a pavlova.

2012-01-18T15:24:00.001+11:00

I like desserts. That's no secret. But with Baby G and her cranky time being in the evening at the moment, homemade puddings are few and far between for us right now.

When it comes to sweet things, I particularly like pavlova - it's a combination of textures and flavours that really appeals to me: the crunchiness of the meringue and the softness of the cream contrasts beautifully with the sharpness of the fruit.

But when you don't have the 15 minutes to whip up the egg whites and the sugar, an hour and a quarter to bake it and overnight to cool it, then this is almost as good. And it takes less than 10 minutes to whip the cream, crumble the meringues and chop the fruit. Bliss.

Miss Kitty's Layered Pavlova
Serves 2

4-6 store bought meringues or 2 meringue nests
200ml thickened cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (paste is better)
1/2 punnet strawberries
1/2 punnet raspberries (or a handful of frozen raspberries)
1/4 punnet blueberries

Chop the strawberries and place in a bowl with the raspberries and the blueberries. Stir to combine and set aside. Whip the cream and the vanilla until soft peaks are formed. Crumble two or three of the meringues into two serving glasses and top with half the cream. Divide most of the fruit between the two glasses then repeat the layers with the remaining meringues, cream and fruit.

You can make this with any fruit you like: mango, passionfruit, kiwi fruit, banana, peaches, nectarines, cherries... Whatever you have going spare in the fridge! It's absolutely delicious and worth the few minutes required for the assembly.

Kitty

True love is...

2012-01-17T17:54:00.001+11:00

...Having someone to share the journey with.

Kitty

Three months

2012-01-16T15:21:00.003+11:00

Dearest darling Georgina,

I can't remember a time before you were in our life. In just three short months you have changed us completely and I can't imagine being without you. Not for a moment, a minute, a heartbeat.

I remember the first time I held you. You were lifted above my head, howling and purple, and placed on my chest. I didn't know what to say. After 34 hours of labour I was tired, emotional, scared, terrified, relieved, ecstatic... But you looked directly into my eyes and that look conveyed everything that needed to be said. Love, devotion, happiness. It was just the three of us. Together.

It seems like only yesterday we brought you home from the hospital. I remember that day so well, even though every day since seems to be a blur. We drove you home from the hospital - I sat in the back of the car because I couldn't bear to be apart from you. We brought you into the house and placed you - asleep in your capsule - in the middle of the lounge room floor. We all sat around you, silent, admiring your beautiful little face. I remember thinking "I can't believe they let me leave hospital with you. Don't they know I have no idea what I am doing?" But together we have muddled through and we are both still okay. We must be doing something right.

Little Birdie, we love you so much. That cheeky grin, that happy disposition. You do something new every day. At the moment you are trying to pull yourself up to sit. You are imitating our words and rolling over. Already my tiny baby girl is growing up too fast. I cling to these precious moments of wonder and newness, knowing all too soon they will be distant memories.

We so longed for a baby and you certainly took your time coming to join our family. It was worth the wait, the pain, the heartache. Through the good times and bad, having you here has made me a better person. I couldn't have imagined how it feels being a mummy: it's almost as if every feeling I have had until now is magnified tenfold. I feel so much more - happiness is happier, sadness is unbearable. I'd do anything to protect you and my love for you is fierce. Now I appreciate fully what it means to love - because of you I love your Daddy more, my friends and family more and you. Always you.

Happy three months, my darling little girl.

Love,

Mummy xxx

Busy.

2012-01-13T21:51:00.003+11:00

Apologies for my absence. I've been busy taking care of our little kitten. She's just adorable but our hands are well and truly full. Every waking moment, people.

I'm loving every minute though. Well perhaps not the all ones when she cries...

She turns three months old on Monday. I can't even remember life before she was born. The months have just flown by. I'll be back shortly. For the moment, enjoy these photos!

Kitty xx

Violets.

2012-01-01T15:10:00.002+11:00

I saw this Jigsaw scarf before Christmas and I liked it. A lot. But not for $99. The colour is great, it's soft and fine and I love the floral motif. I wear so much basic black that it would be fabulous with my winter wardrobe so when it came on sale for $49 I snatched it up!

I don't wear much from Jigsaw at the moment - not that I don't like the clothes, it's more that they are a bit too formal for my style right now. But there are definitely a few tops in their range I am keen on. Perhaps my shopping mojo might be on it's way back again...

Kitty

Oobi doobi do.

2011-12-30T17:24:00.003+11:00

Baby G is a very lucky girl. We went out to lunch this week with friends and she received this divine Holly ruffle pocket Oobi dress in Cherry Baby from our friends who were visiting from Singapore. It's so lovely - I was thrilled when I unwrapped it (on her behalf of course). I can't wait for her to be big enough to wear it, and at the rate she is growing that won't be long!

It also comes in Apple Pop which is a fabulous colour combination. I love it so much I'm considering buying it as well... And it also comes in blue and pink... Decisions decisions!

Kitty

Sweet treats.

2011-12-28T08:30:00.000+11:00

First they dress me up like a candy cane....

Then they dress me up as a pudding....

Thankfully they didn't dress me up as a pavlova!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a fab time - lots of food (if anyone has any tips for what to do with about 6kg of leftover ham, please let me know), laughter and relaxed good times with family and friends. I think Baby G enjoyed her Christmas - she certainly got loads of presents and cuddles from everyone!

I was very blessed this year. Irrespective of the giftage, I got to spend the holiday with my parents, Mr K and Baby G: all of my favourite people! I have to say that this Christmas topped off a very good year for the Kitties. I am so thankful for all our blessings and the fact we were able to share them with our loved ones.

I hope you all had a fabulous time over the holidays. I wonder what 2012 has in store for all of us!

Kitty xx

PS: I am not joking about the ham... It's seriously huge. And we ordered a small one! It was so large we didn't even bother cooking the turkey...

Precious.

2011-12-24T08:39:00.002+11:00

Baby G - how precious you are to us.

Merry Christmas Eve, our baby girl.

Mummy xxxx

Miss Kitty goes shopping.

2011-12-21T07:02:00.000+11:00

One of the great advantages of modern technology is that you are always online. I often find myself during the long hours of breastfeeding (Baby G really likes taking her time) browsing the internets looking for pretty things on my iphone. It's so convenient. And dangerous.

For example, last night I was sitting there, well after Mr K had gone to bed while our little dumpling finished her supper (very slowly). I'd Facebooked, I had forumed, I had answered all my emails (one handed, no mean feat)... So I drifted towards the sites I sometimes frequent - my favourite online stores.

As readers of this blog will well know, I have a very soft spot for Leona Edmiston dresses. I haven't bought many recently but this one caught my fancy - and at $95 I think it's a bit of a bargain.

Luckily I know my credit card number off by heart and within moments it was mine. The jury is still out as to whether it will look a bit too Gold Coast Granny for me, but if all else fails it will be useful for our trip to Palm Springs and Las Vegas next year.

Kitty

Baby G's first Christmas tree

2011-12-20T07:35:00.004+11:00

Baby G is most excited about Christmas. Well, okay, I am excited about Baby G's first Christmas. There's nothing like Christmas with children, if only because it allows me to exercise my Olympic class shopping skills.

When it comes to Christmas trees, I have to admit I am a traditionalist. For me, it's the real deal. The smell just makes Christmas for me. So fresh. However, real trees take less ornaments than fake ones - their branches are floopier which means you can't overload the tree. A definite disadvantage.

We support our local scout troop with the purchase of our tree and the visit to select the tree is a family affair now, taking Baby G to make the crucial purchase with us. You can see she was most excited about the prospect:

But by the time we made it to the scout hall, she had abandoned her responsibilities in favour of a nap. Oh well - luckily I am a pro at picking trees and wasn't relying on her expertise.

This year I have gone minimalist - partially because out tree is a little smaller than usual (I went for shape over height) and partially because the cats have a tendency to remove ornaments from the tree so I avoided putting anything breakable on it, and fewer ornaments on the lower branches (practice for next year and a crawling baby). I started with the silver ornaments and some of our favourites and when I was done, it just looked... Well, finished. Mr K said it needed a bit of colour so I added what red baubles we had and filled the gaps with red bows. And Voila. Done.

I admit I have an awful lot of Christmas decorations going spare this year - all packed back into their boxes. But the tree is somewhat reflective of our Christmas: low fuss, minimal, focused on the important stuff. And I honestly can't think of anything better.

We purchased these fun wooden ornaments from a wonderful store in Quebec City. I wish I would have bought more - maybe a trip back there is in order?

Faux Fuchsia luffs a fat bid and so do I. These beauties came from Country Road last year. A very good investment.

Mr K and I in felt - we need to get a Baby G to complete the set!

Do you prefer a real or fake tree at your house? What smell says Christmas to you?

Kitty

Snakey.

2011-12-19T20:39:00.001+11:00

For the first time in a very long time (since before Baby G was born) I have started thinking about wearing proper shoes again. By proper shoes I mean shoes with heels. Not flats, not flip flops, not slippers. Real shoes.

I'd buy these in a heartbeat but I have nowhere whatsoever that I could wear $1000 shoes. Really. Not even I can justify that at the moment. Even if they had my size on sale at Saks I still couldn't justify buying them. Also, I do believe my feet have expanded ever so slightly during my pregnancy so it's a purchase that would definitely need to be tried on before parting with the cash...

But they are ridiculously pretty. Ahhh - so nice to look!

Kitty

A moment to myself with a nice cup of tea.

2011-12-16T17:16:00.001+11:00

Being a mum is hard work. Harder work that I ever thought, despite my many Mummy friends warning me about how challenging life is in those first precious weeks. Despite the many difficulties I have encountered breastfeeding (too numerous and tedious to discuss here, including but not limited to two bouts of mastitis, recurrent nipple thrush, ongoing pain, low supply, intense guilt and a windy baby which requires me to remove vast numbers of things from my diet), the one thing I try to do every day is have my afternoon cup of tea. Despite the challenges of the day, I find it soothes and relaxes me, recharging the batteries for the witching hour and the evening ahead.

My tipple of choice at the moment is T2's French Early Grey. Intently floral and perfumed, it is a medium-bodied black tea with pretty petals and slivers of fruit that play with classic bergamot in a refined infusion. With hints of peaches, apricots and zesty citrus, it is complemented by a field of sunflowers, rose, cornflower and hibiscus.

It's a light and uplifting way to break the afternoon. For me, it's a treat in a cup and a few precious moments to myself in an otherwise chaotic and busy life. Moments I savour and revel in and I love I can share them with such a delicious brew.

Kitty

Gingerbread house.

2011-12-14T18:29:00.004+11:00

Being a new mum means that lots of things have slipped for Christmas this year, the number one for me being the Christmas baking. I have made my favourite yoyos (still to be iced) but that will be it for baking I think. It's just too hard (read: impossible) to find a block of 3-4 hours that is required to bake cookies at this point. Mr K is still keen for me to bake a special type of Latvian gingerbread called Piparkukas (literal translation - pepper cookies), but we'll have to see on that one - I might trade a leave pass for a pedicure to make them...

In an attempt to still have some yummy Christmas treats for our holiday guests to indulge in, I have turned to a local producer of cookies for help. Cookie Constructions bake divine Gingerbread houses and cookies for the holiday season and cookies all year round. Roulla Yiacoumi, a freelance technology journalist who I have known for years, is the creative talent behind these divine creations. She has a background as an architectural model maker which for me is a must have when you are talking serious gingerbread houses!

Cookie Constructions uses top quality ingredients and confectionery and all of their creations are hand made here in Sydney. They support local manufacturers, with more than 90 per cent of their raw ingredients and confectionery made in Australia. They also use confectionery made in the UK, US, Germany, Spain and Holland. They do not use toothpicks, skewers, or other inedible bits to hold thei creations together: they are edible right down to the cake board!

The Christmas gingerbread houses are available in two variations: classic and surf shack and in three different sizes, perfect for everyone. I have ordered a medium classic, being a bit of a traditionalist, but I thought the surf shack looked very cute. Don't fancy gingerbread? The houses also come in chocolate cinnamon cookie!

At other times of the year, Roulla makes other creations - keep an eye on the website for seasonal treats and specialties. And at any time of year you can get a hand made cookie pram filled with cookies, a perfect gift for a hospital bound new mum!

If you are based in Sydney you can still get your hands on a house for this Christmas - orders close Friday at 5pm! Next year I might find time to bake my own creation but for this year, when time is at a premium, I am thrilled to have found a fabulous producer of quality gingerbread houses, and I can't wait to demolish ours!

Kitty

Adding to the Christmas list...

2011-12-14T16:16:00.001+11:00

In addition to smiles from Baby G and some Kailis earrings, I think I want an Alexander McQueen skull calf hair box clutch.

How sensational!

Pity about the price - at 981 pounds it's a tad out of the price range at the moment. Plus it's not particularly practical for a stay at home mum who needs to take a suitcase of stuff with her every time she leaves the house...

Nevermind - a girl can dream, right?

Kitty

Christmas treats.

2011-12-13T18:46:00.001+11:00

There are a number of foods we all seem to associate with Christmas - ham, turkey, pudding... But I have a few extras that I only seem to eat around Christmas. They aren't Christmas foods as such, but are treats that I indulge in that seem particularly good during the festive season.

One such food is Artisan du Chocolat's No 1 salted caramels. There aren't words to describe how good these things really are. Originally invented in 2003 by Gerard Coleman for Gordon Ramsay’s menu at Claridges, these tasty morsels are sweet liquid caramel with a pinch of Noirmoutier island’s grey salt, captured in a bitter cocoa dusted shell of intense dark chocolate. They are so bitter, so salty, so buttery, so sweet. So Yum.

I could eat them all year round but that would mean they might lose their "specialness". So I keep them for Christmas. I may share my box, I may not. But I will enjoy every last one I eat, you can be sure of that.

Artisan du Chocolat ship to Australia using Fed Ex so there is still time to get your mitts on a box of these beauties before Christmas. Order a couple - they make brilliant hostess gifts. You won't be sorry. Plus they deduct the VAT from the cost of the item so the 13.50 pounds per box becomes 11.25. I'll take my discounts where I can get them!

And if you are particularly adventurous, they make a number of different flavours. I think the original is the best, but I was definitely tempted by the spiced fig. Very Christmasy!

Do you have a special Christmas treat you don't like to share?

Kitty xx

What do I want for Christmas?

2011-12-12T16:38:00.003+11:00

Hmmm... World peace? Nice. An end to the GFC? Perhaps. 10 hours uninterrupted sleep? Where do I sign up?

But if these happened to appear in my stocking, I wouldn't be unhappy...

They are from Kailis - one of the most innovative jewellery brands out there. Kailis made the "O" pearl pendants for Oprah while she was in Australia last year. And at $5650, they are very good value I think! You can even wear the hoops by themselves - two pairs of earrings for the price of one. Bargain.

And the best thing? The earrings come with a matching pendant. Perfect for my birthday.

In reality, I think Mr K and I will talk about my Christmas present in January. We're a tad busy at the moment to organise anything, bar a few presents for G. Plus I already got everything I wanted this year. Baby G is enough of a present for any girl.

What is on your Christmas list this year? I think I'd like the Philippa Sibley book Desserts, a smile from Baby G, someone to cook dinner and some of that sleep wouldn't go astray...

Kitty xx

Fat pugs and cake.

2011-12-08T15:13:00.000+11:00

A very dear friend posted this on another friend's Facebook page this week. It made me laugh so much - it captures exactly how I feel about Mr K and Baby G.

I may just have to buy one.

Kitty

Pudding.

2011-12-07T09:19:00.003+11:00

Anyone remember this onesie I just had to have from Not on the High Street?

Well, I bought it and it arrived today. The quality is insanely good. The onesie itself is made from a beautiful thick cotton and the colours are beautifully vibrant. It's a smidgey bit bigger than I thought it would be but the rate baby G is growing it should be a perfect fit at Christmas. I promise to post photos of my little Pudding after she wears it!

Kitty

Christmas presents for Baby G

2011-12-06T11:28:00.000+11:00

I think it's fair to say I just love Christmas. Love it. I spend months thinking about what to eat on Christmas Day. I love shopping for Christmas presents for people and devising a special outfit for the celebrations.

This year it's all the more special, having a little person to shop for and pamper. I've tried very hard not to buy too many things for her (given she has no idea what is actually going on) but I couldn't help purchasing a few choice items...

Here is what I have bought so far:
A personalised wooden name puzzle - okay so her name isn't Olivia but you can buy a puzzle for your baby with it's name personalised. They charge by the letter (so shorter names are cheaper) and it comes with a great wooden storage box from Mooo.
A Violet rag doll from Alimrose. I first saw this doll on their Facebook page and had to have it. Eventually it was tracked down at The Hip Infant. She looks just like Baby G so of course I was thrilled!

This penguin hand puppet from ChunkiChilli at Not On The High Street. I have blogged about their rabbits before. I have to say I found it very hard to choose a toy from their selection but eventually we settled on this one.

I still need to buy her a book so if anyone has any suggestions they would be gratefully received. Especially something that can be bought online as I am allergic to the shops at the moment!

Kitty

Bonds.

2011-12-04T14:49:00.003+11:00

Baby G is growing up so fast. While we were changing her nappy the other day we noticed she had grown out of her first onesies - she's just getting too long too fast! And what with the damp weather we have been having in Sydney recently, our options for drying things - even inside on a rack - seem to be limited. So she often gets close to running out of things to wear - a woman's worst nightmare.

This recent event, and the realisation that Bonds now sells directly online to customers, prompted a bit of a spending spree yesterday. It did, however, take me three goes to get everything into my shopping cart - a few interruptions like feeding hungry babies and making dinner got in the way - but eventually I made my purchases. However, given busy mums are likely to be the target demographic for the Bonds online store, I do wish they wouldn't purge your shopping cart after 20 minutes. I found myself coming back to it again and again to add things to my cart, only to discover it had all disappeared. I would think not many Mums would have the half an hour altogether required to sit and trawl through the site. But it's a small complaint for what was otherwise a fairly easy experience.

As a launch bonus, Bonds are currently offering free standard shipping on all purchases, plus 10% off each item you purchase if you like it on Facebook. Worth doing - between special offers and the "like" bonus, I saved $52 off a $220 order.

Some of my favourite things from the order:
These gorgeous cord overalls. Okay, so I know I am getting ahead of myself somewhat but a few people have told me that when she starts crawling she needs good overalls. So I bought these in the hope that they will be great quality and I can just buy more of them. The green ones are very cute too.

This cuter than cute onesie. I love the divine little birds.

This cool striped coverall. G looks fab in pink so this was a must have for me.

I also bought some practical wondersuits and nappy covers for summer. Hopefully it will start to get warmer soon so I can break them out! I can't wait til everything arrives!

Kitty

Sparkle-arkle

2011-11-26T21:09:00.003+11:00

We are having Mum and Dad and Mr K's Aunt at our place for Christmas this year. It will be tres casual but lots of fun - good food, lots of presents, a real tree. All the good stuff.

Baby G has about a gazillion outfits to wear to celebrate the festivities, so in the spirit of supporting the downtrodden retail economy here in Australia, I made a purchase during the week. Something nice and new. From Blue Illusion, I think Faux Fuchsia would approve.

It's not particularly breastfeeding friendly but it is embellished and very comfy - I figure I can get a few hours wear out of it. At least. It will make a change from my regular outfit of tracksuit pants, breastfeeding top and cardigan, and I have a great pair of wedges I can wear with it. Because if you can't go all out and get dressed up at Christmas when can you?

Kitty xx

Tea time.

2011-11-24T09:54:00.003+11:00

I think this mug says it all really. From the marvellous Catherine Colebrook. They ship to Australia and have the most fabulous giftage.

Kitty

Not on the High Street

2011-11-23T14:00:00.000+11:00

Has anyone else discovered this fantabulous website? Full of amazing things that are a bit quirky and fun, it's like the UK Etsy but not quite as "handmade" or crafty. It's the place where you can find all those charming, unique and carefully-made things that you sometimes stumble across in cool markets, fairs and tucked-away boutiques. A place that was quick and easy to get to, where shopping was simple and fun, and where you can always find inspirational, unique and wonderful things.

Every single item is designed, made or selected by a UK based independent small business, whose passion for quality, innovation and style shine through in every little detail of their products. Its the perfect place to find that special gift or present for hard to please friend or loved one.

I have been bookmarking a lot of different things for Georgie's first Christmas (she's getting a lot of presents apparently). Among my favourites are the following:

Plum Pudding Onesie from LittleChook. Already in the shopping cart - Kaching!! She will be wearing this on Christmas morning I think...

Keep Calm onesie from Jack Spratt Baby. So cute!! Will get this a little bigger for next winter I think.

Hand knitted rabbit from ChunkiChilli. I love knitted toys for babies - they are so beautiful. This seller makes monkeys, elephants, bunnies, pigs... And a fab range of hand puppets too! So many beautiful, slightly quirky options!

I could spend hours on this site - really! It's wonderful and I anticipate many of the gifts given by moi this Christmas will be purchased here.

Kitty

Raspberry yoghurt cake

2011-11-20T17:48:00.001+11:00

As you will have noted from my most recent posts, at the moment I am all about the easy options. As much as I still love to bake, with a baby who doesn't really like to sleep much during the day you need to pick your battles carefully. Very carefully.

I still need to do the washing, eat breakfast etc. so when I do get 15 minutes to myself (somewhat of a luxury at the moment), I look for maximum impact baking options. This is one.

Unashamedly plagiarised from the brilliant Clothilde at Chocolate and Zucchini, this is a fabulous cake. Delicious, moist, tasty, and most of all, easy. Plus we have a large number of raspberry plants bearing fruit at the moment - yes, already! I can't wait for the height of summer when we will be inundated with luscious ripe fruit, bursting with flavour. Unfortunately I only had half the amount required to make this cake but that's better than nothing. And I am determined to make this cake with wholly home grown raspberries before the summer is out.

You can use the measurement device as described - Dairy Farmers does 125ml pots of plain yoghurt, or you can just use a half cup measurement like I do. Either way, it's delicious.

Gâteau au Yaourt à la Framboise

Recipe courtesy of Chocolate and Zucchini

2 tubs of plain yogurt (one tub is 125 ml, which is the French standard, which amounts to 4 oz, or half a cup)
Use one of the empty tubs to measure out :
2 tubs of soft brown sugar
1/2 tub of oil
3 tubs of sifted flour
1/2 tub ground almonds

You will also need :
3 eggs
1 Tbsp baking powder
a good pinch of salt
300 g raspberries (fresh or frozen -- no need to thaw them if they're frozen)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Copiously grease a 9-inch (22 cm) round cake pan and line with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yogurt, the oil and the sugar with a wooden spoon or whisk. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. In a medium bowl combine the flour, the baking powder, the salt, and the almonds. Add the flour mixture to the batter in three or four additions, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

Alternatively, use your food processor to mix the batter, adding the ingredients in the same order as indicated above.

Pour half the batter into the cake pan. Cover evenly with half of the raspberries. Pour the other half of the batter, and arrange the other half of the raspberries on top.

Put into the oven to bake, for 50 to 60, until the top is springy and a cake tester comes out clean. If it looks like the top of the cake is browning too quickly, cover with foil for the rest of the baking time. Let rest on the counter for at least ten minutes -- I repeat : let rest on the counter for ten minutes -- then run a knife around the cake to loosen it, and turn out on a rack to cool completely.

Delicious served with King Island yoghurt or plain with a cup of tea.

Kitty xx

Enchanted

2011-11-06T12:11:00.003+11:00

If I didn't already have this necklace, I'd be burning a hole in my credit card to get this new issue from Mimco. They are almost identical, other than the new one only has four strands of pearls rather than 5 and a different (although still vintage inspired) clasp.

Does that make it different enough for me to indulge? Hmmm... Dilemma. Tis a smidge pricey at $249 though...

Kitty

Beautiful Georgina

2011-11-04T08:30:00.005+11:00

Last week, Georgie had her first professional photo shoot. We were given instructions by the photographer to have her fed and settled for her arrival, which I timed to perfection.

Except Baby G didn't get the memo.

Feed - check.
Nappy change - check.
Settle - nope.

She spent all but the last half hour of the session wide awake. We tried feeding her, singing to her, sitting in the dark with her, swaddling her, rocking her, feeding her again... Nada. So we had to work with what we had. Which was a very awake, alert baby.

The photographer, Karen Coulstock, did a brilliant job in somewhat trying circumstances. I can only sing her praises - she never got flustered and kept the mood light for these increasingly frustrated parents.

And the result? Karen posted a few of the shots as a sneak peek on facebook yesterday and they are stunning. So beautiful. Baby G looks so serene, you'd never know she'd spent the morning squealing and peeing all over everything. It's amazing.

I'm not tired mummy!!

With the blanket crocheted by The Mummy especially for her. So gorgeous!

Don't be fooled by her angelic looks...

I don't need sleep...

So if you are looking for someone to take some shots of your newborn or family, check Karen out. She's really fantastic and her work clearly speaks for itself.

I can't wait to see the full selection of shots!

Kitty

Newborn Insanity.

2011-10-31T15:05:00.001+11:00

The other day, Georgie's Grandpa (my dad) came to visit.

He lives just outside of Melbourne but came to Sydney to ride on a steam train for the weekend around country NSW (too long a story to explain properly) and will be back next week for a longer visit with the family.

In my delirious, slightly sleep deprived state (I say slightly because Georgie surprisingly loves sleeping at night so far and won't even wake for a feed) I decided to bake a cake for his visit. And a quiche, but that's a different story.

My dad is a big fan of cake. But even in my haziness I knew it had to be an easy cake. No layers, no creaming, no whisking. Big bang for buck. I might be tired but I'm not completely dumb. I know my limitations in the current marketplace.

How much easier does it get than throwing all the ingredients into the kitchen whizz, pouring the batter into the loaf pan and baking? Not much, I can tell you... I timed it and it took precisely 8 minutes from starting to putting the tin in the oven. Awesome.

The cake was absolutely delicious as well as being ridiculously easy. My dad loved it too and so did Mr K. I highly recommend you try it out - you won't be disappointed.

Orange drizzle cake

Adapted from Taste.com.au

1 large thin-skinned orange, preferably seedless Valencia (I used 1 ½ medium oranges)
250g unsalted butter, melted
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
2 cups (440g) caster sugar
4 eggs

Icing

2 tbs (40g) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (225g) icing mixture, sifted
Juice of 1/2 orange
Squeeze of lemon juice
Zest of one orange, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease a 11cm x 24cm loaf pan.

Chop orange (including skin) into small pieces. Discard any seeds. Process in a food processor until finely chopped. Add butter, flour, caster sugar and eggs, then process until mixture is light and smooth. Pour into pan. Bake for 40 minutes until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before icing.

Meanwhile, for the icing, melt butter and add to icing sugar, orange zest and orange and lemon juices. Stir until you have a soft icing. Cool slightly, then spread over cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Kitty xx

Georgie: the early days

2011-10-30T08:33:00.005+11:00

A couple of very quick photos from Georgie's first weeks for you all. I can't believe how much she has already changed from when she was a newborn. She's lost that puffy newborn-ness and it starting to look like a real individual and she's only two weeks old.

35 hours of sporadic labour. It does bad things to your hair, people.

Snuggles with Granny. It's a wonder anyone else got a look in! There is already a special bond between these two extraordinary ladies, and I see much spoiling in Baby G's future...

Snuggled in Daddy's arms. She spends lots of time there.

What's that?? There's a sale? I'll just try and make my way out of this blanket and we can go!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Baby G's first car ride. She slept the entire way home from the hospital. Awesome.

Some people might say wind - I say early smiles. You be the judge.

I don't like mittens!! But I refuse to stop scratching my face! I desperately wanted to get her in this outfit - it is almost too small for her. That'll teach me for buying 0000 sized clothing for a 9 pound baby!

K xx

Introducing Baby G...

2011-10-23T18:34:00.002+11:00

Hello!

Well the madness here continues as it ever does - I just wanted to let you know that last weekend we welcomed our little baby girl into the world, hence the lack of posting from my end.

She is so beautiful and the overwhelming sense of love and adoration we feel for her just can't be described. She was a couple of days early, despite my deeply held conviction she would be late (but then again I initially thought she was a boy so what do I know?). She weighed in at almost exactly 9lbs (4.098kg) and was 52cm long. After a 34 hour sporadic non-progressing labour she was born by emergency C-Section. With the benefit of hindsight, I should have listened to a number of my friends and gone with the elective option - it would have been worlds easier. If we go back for another I'd elect next time for certain given the challenges we faced look to not be unique to this delivery. But we are both recovering well and it's bliss to be at home once again. Every day is a gift and a blessing and I feel so lucky to have her.

In the end, after much debate and discussion, we named her Georgina Ingrid. She was named for two very special people in our life - Georgina is my little sister's middle name and the middle name of Mr K's father, who passed away 6 years ago, was also George. It seemed most fitting and it already suits her. She couldn't be anything other than Baby G.

I'll post photos once we have a few moments of sanity but for the moment you'll have to take my word for it that she's divine. She really is.

K xx

Billy Lids

2011-10-14T09:33:00.003+11:00

I've bought from Billy Lids before. I was struggling to find a repeat of the divine Bebe by Minihaha onesie with rabbits which I decided I NEEDED in a larger size because I couldn't bear the thought of my baby growing out of it. I bought about four or five things in that shipment and they were all fabulous and came in very short time. I love fast shipping!

But, since being on a baby clothes ban, I have tried to steer clear of all my favourite online stores: Baby's got Style, Babi, etc. But yesterday's email from Billy Lids might make me break my ban.

There are two dresses I can't stop looking at. Both are by brands I hadn't heard of - probably a good thing so far but not for the future, I am guessing.

The first one is this piece of sweetness from And the Little Dog Laughed. The Stella dress is a retro print dress with crochet flower detail in 100% cotton. It's so cute I just want to eat it! It's very traditional in style which I love.

The second dress it a little more modern but fits very well with the nautical theme I wrote about not long ago. It's from Papoose. It's sublime. I think it would be such a shame not to buy it.

Not long until the ban can be broken - after the baby is born and it's all on. Although she's not showing many (any) signs of wanting to emerge and meet us. No amount of yoga, acupuncture, raspberry leaf tea, stretching or eating curry/spicy food seems to make a difference. She'll come when she's good and ready. As she should.

Kitty

Impulse shopper.

2011-10-06T16:12:00.004+11:00

I can be a bit of an impulse shopper. No surprise to people here, I would think.

Case in point - my baby has way too many clothes and she isn't even here yet. She will be a fashionista before she knows what the word actually means. We're not even 100% certain she's a she (the scan said she was but scans have been wrong before).

Today was an exercise in impulse shopping for me - I bought something in my pre-pregnancy size from Leona Edmiston without even trying it on. I tried on a similar dress last summer (slightly different neckline) but it was on sale... And I liked it at the time but they didn't have the right colour (black)....

I was in town - Mr K was having his hair cut and I was at a loose end and had already been to Myers, Haighs and tried on very expensive jewellery....

So I bought it. Reduced from $345 to $195. In black, of course. Without trying it on because nothing goes over Le Bump right now and I want to wear it after I am pregnant. I just have to have faith that it will fit. It's also available in denim (light cornflower blue), navy and a stunning violet/fuchsia pink colour. The style is called Peony.

I now just have to get back to my pre-pregnancy size. First step, get the baby out (starting to get to overit.com people - it's a popular destination for very pregnant ladies apparently) and lose all the fluid I am retaining. Feet like watermelons, peeps. Watermelons.

Kitty

Skulls and skullduggery.

2011-09-27T09:09:00.003+10:00

Or Skulls: a modern approach to home decoration.

It seems that the Alexander McQueen brand is branching out to home decor. I don't know whether I am happy or not about this development. I love the style of the brand - and accessories, jewellery, perfume etc. all seem like natural extensions that work with the brand conceptually. But cushions?

Next they will have McQueen branded toilet paper, air freshener and fast food meals. It's a slippery slope people. It just seems like blatant money grabbing to me - there is no real reason to charge such an inordinate amount for stuffing and fabric other than "the brand". At what point does it really become too much?

Having said that, Missoni seems to do it well. But they are far more of a home furnishings brand now. I bet they make the majority of their profit from selling beach towels, cushions etc. Very little from catwalk style clothing which is where McQueen does the bulk of it's trade. Happy to stand corrected but that's the way I view the brand. I don't know why I see a difference here, I just do. Plus Missoni does collaborative collections with people like Target and Bugaboo, making it accessible to a mass market.

Please note - I actually really do love Alexander McQueen. I have a dress, a bag, a scarf and a bangle from this wonderful designer brand. all of which I adore. ADORE. I hope to buy more in the future (just don't tell Mr K). I just wonder about brand extensions like this...

What are your thoughts? Would you spend 357 pounds ($565) plus shipping on a black and white cushion? Even if it was Alexander McQueen? Or is that just far too much to pay for a slice of style?

And for those not willing to spend that kind of money on a skull cushion, consider EcoChic's Day of the Dead version. Just $65, and environmentally friendly to boot.

Kitty

Current obsession: Whisk and Pin muesli cookies.

2011-09-25T11:21:00.000+10:00

I fear I have become addicted to Whisk and Pin muesli cookies.

It's an expensive habit - at $12 a packet of 10 (50g) cookies, I am at risk of bankrupting poor Mr K. The cookies are soft and luscious and full of dried fruit (apricots and raisins, predominantly) coconut, oats and walnuts. They are truly delicious and I'm sure not at all good for you, despite the healthy connotations of muesli.

I think I might have to try and replicate the recipe at home. If anyone has a soft muesli cookie recipe I would love to hear about it!

For those of you interested in trying out the cookies, they are available at Thomas Dux or through their website. Other stockists are also available on their website.

Kitty

Ahoy mateys!

2011-09-24T15:11:00.008+10:00

The other day I posted about Spring florals and now, I am flipping to another Spring trend - this time, the chic, clean lines of nauticals.

Nautical seems to be a perennial favourite - rolled out each Spring to the delight of everyone who likes to recycle or shop their wardrobe. Not that it makes the style boring. Au contraire: it's classic, stylish, simple. I have a number of pieces in my wardrobe already which means I don't have to invest vast amounts of cash I really don't have to feel on trend this season.

Nautical doesn't have to be about just wearing a striped dress or top - you can include a canvas bag in red or navy, a pair of French style espadrilles or loafers or a well cut navy blazer to be on trend.

Having said that, the epitome of the trend really is the striped or themed dress. Let's take a quick look at how a few labels are taking the trend and putting a twist on it this Spring:

Charlie Brown has a sensational Maxi dress which has a great twist on the nautical theme. The shape of the halter and cinched waist give it a 50's twist and help it rise above the regular maxi on the hanger. A great pair of wedges would set this dress of beautifully.

One of my favourites, La Leona, has this offering of a beautiful nautical themed dress as part of the Summer collection. The nautical knots have a touch of playfulness while nodding thoughtfully to the 70's. Very sexy indeed.

A modern take on the trend can be seen at Howard Showers - with three different knee length options available, in addition to a strapless maxi and a tank maxi in pink, white and coral.

Us preggo ladies can also embrace the trend with a vengeance. Queen Bee has a black and white striped shift dress which smartly veers away from the standard boring black or patterned dresses. A chic option, pair the dress with a pair of thongs or sandals (if you are like me it's probably all you can get your feet into) and a denim jacket on a slightly cooler day. Gorgeous. But a quick tip - skip the hat.

Me? I have bought a black and cream striped jersey dress from Ojay ($99.95 with 20% off) with a gorgeous draped cowl neck which hopefully will be great for breastfeeding once the baby comes. I plan to wear it with a great pair of wood, leather and elastic wedges I bought in the US and my silver Oroton handbag.

I also have a great top I bought at David Lawrence with cap sleeves and an asymmetrical neckline I bought last summer which I hope to team with black wide leg trousers, ballet flats and silver and black bangles. Chic!

Speaking of accessories, why not break out the nautical theme here too?

Mimco has some great options, including this nautical rope headband.

This cuff is great, on trend and very casual - from Hippieknots on etsy.

Longtime readers of this blog will know I have a soft spot for the marvellous Ikabags on etsy. This chic Parisienne makes top quality canvas bags in a range of fabrics and materials. Her Stockholm Nautical collection is fantastic. I have this one with a red strap and am seriously tempted to buy more. I love that Feyza now makes nappy bags as well! Practical and chic!

Moving on to shoes, I love these wedges from Nine West - the rope sole and blue colour make the shoe a perfect nautical option.

For those who want a flatter option, Country Road has a great red loafer for $69.95. Affordable and on trend - what's not to love?

So, how are you embracing nauticals this Spring?

Kitty

Spring florals.

2011-09-23T10:30:00.004+10:00

Not that I've really been looking but in my travels between massages, acupuncture, the movies and Baby Bunting, I've noticed that a lot of fashion labels are really embracing florals this season. Not the nana style of floral, or the 1980's floofy pastel dress. This season's florals are vibrant, chic and stylish while still remaining pretty and fun. Classic, structured silhouettes take the floral out of the back of the wardrobe and place it front and centre this season.

A few examples of the trend:

Ojay's lilypad border dress. The stiff sateen material and intriguing pattern is a winner this spring. Classy and stylish yet still feminine it would be perfect for the spring racing season or a casual summer wedding.

Leona Edmiston's Hazel - a Mad Men inspired shirt dress - is a great example of how you can work florals into your work wardrobe in an easy way. The print is so pretty and the range of colours means you can update the dress with a myriad of accessories.

Finally, even the queen of the retro animal print is going floral this season. This trapeze style dress from Charlie Brown is perfect for drinks after work. The drapey bow at the neck echoes the softness of the print. Love it!

Kitty

The saga of the cake.

2011-09-14T16:14:00.002+10:00

Three and a half years ago, Mr K and I got married. We had an amazing day - the weather was spectacular, the food was amazing, I was thrilled with my dress and everything went to plan - well, everything other than the cake.

The original style of cake we liked, courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Rewind 8 months and I visit one of Sydney's premier wedding cake purveyors on my search for the perfect cake. We discussed a few ideas for the wedding cake - apparently our original idea, something similar to Martha Stewart's sugar bubble cake - wouldn't work because of Sydney's humidity. We couldn't agree on the exact design but because they were so popular I decided to book in with them, knowing we'd come up with the right thing over the next few weeks. Over the next few weeks we emailed ideas back and forth and eventually settled on a two tier cake (almond and chocolate mud cake) with silver cachous rising up from the bottom of each layer to mimic champagne bubbles. It was the closest we could get to the original cake while still fitting in our black and white theme.

Our wedding day arrives and once the formalities are over and the canapes consumed, we make our way into the dining venue. At the exact same moment Mr K and I both clap eyes on our wedding cake and say - in unison "that's not our cake!!"

The cake that wasn't our cake. Sad Kitty.

The cake maker had made the original design we had discussed (which I hadn't really liked), with big clunky chunky balls of silver fondant all over it. Some of the larger balls were cracked and unsightly. It was nothing like the elegant design we had finally settled on. It was a comedic farce of a cake (smaller than we ordered too) and I was so disappointed. I know it sounds petty but I had put so much work into the wedding and for something so small to go wrong, despite all my efforts, emails, phone calls and hard work, it was crushing.

The cake company were very good about it - I rang them on the Monday morning and they immediately admitted fault because they hadn't updated my file properly with the final design. They offered us our money back but I never quite forgot that sinking feeling of my wedding cake being wrong. A small trifle for some people but for a control freak like me, it was a very big deal.

Fast forward to the baby shower and I knew I had to set things right. First stop: Faye Cahill. I had eaten many of Faye's cakes at weddings I have been to since my big day and I knew she was the one to make my cake. She is the undisputed queen of Sydney wedding cakes. No-one can hold a candle to her work - she makes the most beautiful cake creations and her floral work is second to none. We met and discussed a number of options for the baby shower cake and finally settled on a beautiful creation of two tiers with sugar flowers on the tops and vines cascading down the sides. I knew Faye would make us a beautiful cake and I was 100% right.

Ta daaaa! The most beautiful cake ever.

The final result was breathtakingly beautiful. I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful cake. When I arrived at Faye's studio in Marrickville on Friday I was speechless. It was exactly what I was after and the attention to detail was exquisite. And to top it all off, Faye's cake was absolutely delicious. I can't remember eating a more divine cake. We opted for almond with lemon ganache and chocolate mud with chocolate ganache and both were fabulous.

We have well and truly put the ghosts of the wedding cake to rest with this spectacular creation. Thank you Faye for your hard work and dedication to making such beautiful cakes. I can't recommend her work highly enough.

Kitty

Floral arrangements...

2011-09-13T15:03:00.000+10:00

I have always wanted to go out to the flower markets at Sydney Markets on a Saturday. We have been out to the produce markets many times but we just haven't crossed the car park to venture to the florally bit.

This Saturday, I actually had an excuse to go out to visit the flowers. We needed some decoration for the baby shower (in addition t the beautiful bunting we had) so we woke up early and traipsed out to see what we could get.

How divine are these pale pink long stemmed roses? So pretty.

We ended up with an absolute abundance of roses: bunches of hot pink and very pale pink and a swathe of snapdragons. Probably more than we needed but they were all so pretty. And the best thing? More flowers than we really needed for the bargain price of $40. Seriously. Less than one bunch of roses from a florist. It's worth the walk across the carpark to buy discount blooms that will last beautifully. I'm definitely doing it again once we venture back to the markets.

We had about half a dozen tiny vases of hot pink rosebuds dotted around the house...

Gorgeous snapdragons - the vase was an engagement present from my parents and this was the perfect arrangement to put in it!

Kitty

Slight detour: baby present.

2011-09-13T07:27:00.006+10:00

I know - I said I was going to post about the baby presents this week, and I still plan to do that, but there was just one I had to share.

My Mother bought the baby these divine sandals as a present:
They are from Seed (of course). The baby is starting to accumulate a better selection of shoes than me. Jealous +. And yes - I asked. They don't make them for adults. Boo.

Kitty

Shower pour le bebe!

2011-09-12T15:58:00.000+10:00

The spectacular cake. Words cannot describe how good it was.

On the weekend I had my baby shower. I had so much fun! It was an immense amount of work for two of my best friends and I but it was a really amazing afternoon. I loved seeing so many of my friends who I hadn't seen in ages - it was such a great occasion for celebration. I even had special visitors from interstate, including my Mother, Mr K's Aunt from Adelaide, the Mummy from Homemade Heart and a dear friend from Brisbane. So lovely to see everyone.

Setting up the food table!

We had so much food - chicken, egg and cucumber sandwiches, home made sausage rolls, greek salad skewers, chipolatas, mini quiches from La Renaissance in the Rocks... And the sweet offerings included beautiful cupcakes from The Cupcake Princess; macarons, cookies and chocolate crackles painstakingly hand made by one of my very good friends and the most divine cake from Faye Cahill (more on that later). If anyone left hungry, they certainly weren't trying hard enough.

The world's most amazing cake. Bar none. Did I mention it was amazing?

It almost killed me to cut it but it was so worth it. The taste was absolutely amazing.

The presents were absolutely amazing too - I can't get over how many things the little princess received! I have to now work out where to put everything - the nursery is currently stacked with so many beautiful things... I'll do a post on some of the presents a little later. People were so generous, both with their time and presents. I was overwhelmed.

Admiring the divine blanket crocheted for me by The Mummy at Homemade Heart. You can't imagine a more beautiful gift.

Early on in the present unwrapping event. Note - the pile of paper on the couch is non-existent! That changes very quickly!

The gorgeous Tabitha, daughter of The Mummy, and my friend Simone who made the most amazing cookies and macarons for the festivities!

I now have 6 weeks until the baby is due. Thank goodness most of the hard work has now been done and I can begin to relax a little.

Kitty

Light me up.

2011-09-05T18:01:00.003+10:00

Following on from Sass over at Sassiest's recent posts on buying the coolest chandelier, I stumbled across this beautiful specimen at Vintage Baby.

What a cool store. What a fabulous light fitting. If the baby's room was a bit more Frenchie/Marie Antoinette inspired, I'd be hitting up Mr K for one ASAP. So pretty.

Vintage Baby is a new favourite store of mine. The quilts, bedspreads and bedroom decor are especially divine. Check it out!

Kitty x

PS: Speaking of baby rooms, Little Miss Kitty's room is almost finished. The decal went up this afternoon. Between you and me, I'm very impressed. Photos will be posted shortly!

Sleepless.

2011-09-03T05:52:00.002+10:00

I woke up this morning at 4.04am. That, in and of itself is not unusual - I often wake up at an early hour needing to visit the bathroom, usually because the baby likes to do a tap dancing routine on my bladder at some point during the night - you know, to keep herself entertained...

But this was no ordinary morning trip to the bathroom. I slipped out of bed and attempted to shuffle quietly into the ensuite so as not to wake Mr K. On my way in, I brushed my hand against something on the sink and it fell onto the floor. My worst suspicions were confirmed when the acrid smell of nailpolish hit my nose.

Yes - I had managed to knock a full bottle of OPI Vodka and Caviar onto the floor and it had smashed. Everywhere. I finally found the light switch and with trepidation turned it on.

My bathroom looked like a murder scene.

Cue half an hour of scrubbing on my hands and knees with a bottle and a half of acetone to try and get the polish off the floor and out of the tile grout. Lots of muttering - there may have also been a fair amount of profanity. The irony is that the polish never usually lives there. I took it out last night so I wouldn't forget to book a pedicure this week. The irony.

Finally I got back to bed only to find that between getting up and going back to bed that my side of the bed was now cold and my alarm clock had developed a weird humming noise. It has never done it before. Cue Mr K fumbling under the bed for the cord to pull it out of the wall. Five minutes later (I think - remember now there is no clock in our bedroom), my now futile attempts at sleep were again interrupted by the family of kookaburras that lives two doors down. Their cackling and calling, usually so welcome in the daylight hours, is an utter annoyance before sunrise, let me tell you.

Sleep now well and truly eluding me, I made the decision to get up. The grout is still stained a pale pink but I think I'll tackle that later. Can't bear to do it now.

I think it's time for a cup of tea.

Kitty

A diversion.

2011-08-25T09:16:00.004+10:00

Sometimes I really like taking time out from looking at baby things.

Shocking - I know. But a girl who loves clothes and shoes will always be a girl who love clothes and shoes. Even if she really can't wear them for the time being. Temporarily. There is only so much looking at cute little baby outfits that a girl can take before she craves the luxurious fabrics of grown up clobber again.

Case in point: this beautiful Daniella dress by Erdem. The decadent and fabulous fabric was like a siren song to me - after a few months of wearing nothing but black maternity clothes, the gypsy like colours screamed out (in a very ladylike manner, of course).

"Hello Miss Kitty! Don't you just LOVE me?"

The scooped back, although not something I would wear, is a stark, sexy contrast to the high cut front. The velvet would skim the body, flowing and undulating gently across the body and puddle beautifully around the feet, clad in these gorgeous Miu Miu sandals.
Although, if it were mine, I'd probably go all out and wear these Miu Mius instead.

I never said I was subtle, now did I? The glittery panels on the shoes would flash under the hemline. Too gorgeous.

And although I don't really do yellow gold jewellery, I'd probably opt for something like these earrings to complement the rich Autumn colour palate of the dress. Silver would just get lost.

It's a dress someone like Anne Hathaway would look spectacular in.

It's good to know I haven't lost my love for the "humble" dress. Even in my heavily pregnant state.

Kitty

Tea parties

2011-08-22T10:49:00.004+10:00

I am gearing up for our obligatory pre-baby trip to Ikea.

It requires an awful lot of planning, preparation, single-mindedness and, well - there's no other word for it: balls. You have to be focused. Really focused.

In an attempt to be organised, I am currently trawling the Ikea website to put together our list of things we need. Aside from the chest of drawers and the chair which we have already agreed on, I am on the hunt for a nice, inexpensive rug for the baby room and one for our spare room, maybe some new bathmats for our main bathroom, a carpet protector for Mr Kitty's study (his last one got cracked in the move)....

But in amongst the stuff we need to buy, there are always the small purchases that manage to sneak into the trolley. The placemats, the glass jugs, and these.

I know - the baby is unlikely to want to play tea parties with me for some time, and goodness knows the cats don't want to sit still long enough to play with me but I love them so much I might just have to buy them for someone else... They go so well with the nursery colour scheme though!

Kitty

I die: baby shoesies.

2011-08-21T08:37:00.001+10:00

How ridiculously cute are these shoes?

They are from Alex & Ant. I have posted about how cute their baby clothes are before (and I still haven't bought this romper - need to get my skates on!), but these shoesies take the cake. The only problem is I don't know which size shoes to purchase! When will we get the most wear out of it? Mummies - your advice is required!

I also love the lace collar romper on the site but given the only sizes available are 0-3 months and 9-12, I wonder if we'll get the wear out of it.... The rabbit tee-shirt is also cute...

Argh! Must stop looking!

Kitty

Alimrose

2011-08-20T17:22:00.000+10:00

I love cute things for the baby. I know - you are all shocked beyond belief.

I have to restrain myself when in shops from buying too many cute impractical things for the little one, for example, at the moment she has enough clothes for about 10 changes on Christmas day, but she has no singlets. Or socks. Or night gowns.

Should really rectify that...

Anyway, this was a little something I just couldn't resist. I have bought cute things from Alimrose before for friends and their babies and love the sweet style. In my defense, it was on sale (just $9 from Parenthood in East Malvern) but I think I would have bought it at full price it's that cute.

It's Little Miss Kitty's first Kitty.

Melt.

I also have my eye on some cute Alimrose scalloped bibs like this one:

Alimrose is available at most quality baby boutiques and many of the best online stores, including Bay's Got Style and Petit Luxe. It's also available at David Jones.

Kitty

White Wings Home Style Creamies

2011-08-19T17:55:00.001+10:00

I have a confession - I am not really a huge fan of bought biscuits. To be honest, I don't know who is more shocked by this announcement - you or me. There are some exceptions of course, there is always time for a mint slice in my life - but in general I prefer those that are home made. I always have a stash of chocolate chip cookies and cinnadoodles in my freezer, just in case I feel like one or have visitors stopping by.

However.

I think I may have found a bought supermarket biscuit that is really worth eating. I was at the supermarket last week and they had one of those end of aisle displays with the new White Wings Home Style Creamies on show.

"Ha!!" I thought to myself. "They won't ever taste as good as real home baked biscuits."

Being hungry, though - which is always a bad state to shop in but almost inevitable while pregnant - I thought I'd throw a pack in the trolley, just to prove myself right. I love being right.

I have to say - I was actually wrong. They are the shizz. I bought the raspberry jam and cream version and they are sensational. The shortbread is crumbly and buttery but not too sweet. The balance of the filling is great - the tart jam and the soft sweet cream are perfect. The creamy bit reminds me of the old melting moments that Arnotts used to make in my childhood - not the same as the ones they make now I have to say.

These now make a regular appearance in our shopping trolley, strictly rationed though because they are so good. We also tried the passionfruit creamies - not as good I will admit. Stick to the traditional jam and cream for the best results. You'll thank me later for the tip.

Do you have a favourite bought biscuit?

Kitty x

Twiggy Winkle

2011-08-18T17:16:00.001+10:00

While we were in Melbourne, Mum and I visited the amazing Twiggy Winkle Baby Boutique in Toorak. Filled with the most amazing clothes, decorations, blankets and furniture it's the go to place for buying quality cute baby stuff in Melbourne.

I have to say we went a bit crazy - buying far too many cute things, but when you consider how many lovely things there were, I was actually impressed with the restraint we showed. We bought a beautiful Branberry Blanket (mint, pink and white stripe for those who are playing at home) which Mum is bringing up from Melbourne with her next month, a divine wall decoration and the cutest hat and knicker combo you have ever seen.

The blanket is one of the loveliest ones I have seen for babies. It's so soft and beautiful but still hardy enough to withstand the rigours of life with a little one. I can't wait to start using it!

The wall decoration was a very special present from my Mother to her granddaughter. It's a paper dress cut from a vintage style map of Paris. Paris is a very special place for Mr K and I, being one of the destinations we visited on our honeymoon. We love going back and we hope to take little Miss Kitty next year on her fist visit there. Having a small piece of Paris in the baby's room is such a lovely thing for us all to share with her. The paper dress also takes me back to my childhood, reminding me of the little cardboard dolls and their cutout dresses I used to play with when I was yournger. I even had a Princess Diana paper doll set - very special. At the moment the dress is on a hanger but we are toying with the idea of having it framed professionally down the track. We want to preserve this wonderful piece of art for her in the future too!

The other purchase was something neither of us could resist - I love vintage style floral fabric and when I saw this little hat I knew I had to have it. It's ridiculously cute and I can't possibly disclose the price. It was insane for a small piece of material, but honestly - at what cost style? And skin protection? The matching knickers will be very cute under pink and white dresses or by the pool over summer. So cute it makes my heart leap. I can't wait till I can put her in them.

How cute are the ruffles??

Twiggy Winkle is a definite on any Mum-to-Be's Melbourne list. There are also fabulous cafes on the same strip of Beatty Avenue in Toorak. How times have changed since I was at school around the corner at Mandeville Hall...

Twiggy Winkle
21A Beatty Avenue, Toorak
(03) 9804 3344
http://www.twiggywinkle.com.au/

Missoni love for the bebe.

2011-08-17T14:55:00.003+10:00

The news that the Missoni for Target is launching in the US has many of my favourite bloggers a buzz with delight. I wish it was making it's way here. Unfortunately it's not to be and I fear that the prices for the collection on eBay will be exorbitant.

I have, however, still made sure there will be Missoni in the baby's life. Yesterday I picked up the Missoni for Bugaboo fabric set for the Cameleon. I originally saw the sample when we visited Bugaboo HQ in Los Angeles - I have to say before that I was a bit so-so about it but in the flesh it's spectacular. I turned to Mr K at the time and said "if we have a girl I am 100% getting that." He said it was fine - we were both convinced it was a boy at that time so no dramas.

Cue our 19 week scan and it looks like Little Mr Kitty is in fact a Miss so the order went in and it arrived this week. I am very excited, even though it will be approximately 9 weeks (if she's on time) before it makes it's first outing.

What a pretty box! I will keep it to put the baby's "things" in...

In support of the theory that all the best people have Missoni for Bugaboo, Mr K saw a picture in a magazine at the Obstetricians yesterday of Rachel Zoe with her Missoni Cameleon. He said that it was ok for her to have one but if he sees a Kardashian with it I have to sell it. Apparently he has standards (I personally love the Kardashians). One of the areas we must agree to disagree.

Kitty

Luxe vs Less

2011-08-10T19:50:00.000+10:00

So yesterday I posted the 3100 pound ($4915AUD) Oscar de la Renta dress. Today, we have the slightly less expensive version. Meet the Collette by Collette Dinnigan summer lace dress:

It's available at David Jones for $320. A smidge over 6% of the cost of the Oscar Frock. Not exactly cheap but certainly cheaper. More cost effective, if you will. Mr K would be glad of me saving money (if indeed I were to buy it).

It's not quite the same shape as the Oscar dress but I like the look with the similar lace fabric over contrasting underskirt. It would make for a fantastic Summer party dress - dressed up or down.

Collette has some other lovely lacey options that are really pretty for summer:

Although I have to say it does seem very weird to be posting about summer clothes when it's 11 degrees outside. I might hold off on the summer fashion postings until we see some more sun!

Kitty

Oscar!

2011-08-09T12:36:00.003+10:00

Oscar de la Renta always makes the most sensational frocks. I've been watching the third series of the Rachel Zoe Project this last week and it included the episode where Rachel is dressing celebrities for the 2010 Oscars. She chooses this amazing Oscar de la Renta dress for Cameron Diaz and she looks stunning.

Not quite in the same league but eminently more wearable is this gorgeous Oscar cocktail frock from Net-a-Porter. At 3100 pounds, it's a little out of the price range at the moment but I'll be on the look out for a similar dress with a black guipure lace overlay once summer comes around and the baby is wearing it's own fashion statements.

The fifties silhouette is so flattering and the scoop neck tends to suit me well. I'd see Carey Mulligan in something like this for sure. I have so many pearl necklaces to wear with a dress like this. Completely trans-seasonal, you could wear it with a fitted blazer in winter or a pair of sandals in summer. Princess Mary could totally rock this look. It's a classic style that is ageless - so very classic Oscar.

Kitty

Burch & Purchese, Melbourne

2011-08-05T18:14:00.000+10:00

I first heard about Ian Burch and Darren Purchese last year during Masterchef when they made a spectacular fruit carnival dessert for a Masterclass episode. Ever since, I have been itching to find more out about them and their fabulous creations.

In April, they opened their first Sweet Studio on Chapel Street in South Yarra. The studio is a multi sensory retail space specialising in sweet creations, desserts and treats perfect for spontaneous indulgent moments through to that very special dessert extravaganza for an event or dinner party. Selling individual and multi-portion cakes as well as jars of curd, jams, chocolate spreads, bars of chocolate, fudge and honeycomb, there is something for everyone in this purveyor of sweet treats.

Formally from the UK, pastry chef co-owners Ian Burch & Darren Purchese have built a reputation worldwide for their dessert wizardry; they fuse science and art with sugar to create an exciting and individual array of delicious tastes and textures.

Walking into Sweet Studio off the bustling craziness of Chapel St is a real treat. It's unlike anywhere else you've been, a place where you can always expected the unexpected. There is almost a serene tranquility to the studio combined with the crazy whackiness of Alice in Wonderland. The day we were there they had the most amazingly light lemonade marshmallows on tasting - now I'm not a marshmallow fan but these were incredible. Soft, light puffy clouds of sherbetty goodness. I almost went back for a second.

I was initially very keen to taste their desserts but after walking in, I had to take home some of their condiments, jams and sweet treats for my pantry. I knew Mr K would grumble about how much I bought but I couldn't resist.

First to the cakes!

Our first choice was the Chocolate, mandarin, salted caramel. Made up of Kendari 60% chocolate
mousse, Murray River salted caramel, burnt mandarin cream, St Clements marmalade, aerated
chocolate shortbread and chocolate mirror glaze this creation was simple but sublime. The textures were wonderful and the mousse, the hero of the dish, was gorgeous. I would have loved a bit more of a mandarin hit to the dessert but it was a small small thing. So delicious.

Our second choice was the coconut, passionfruit ginger mint. It was my favourite of all the desserts we tried. It was sweet, luscious and tangy, reminding me of hot summer tropical holidays. The dessert is described as coconut mousse, passionfruit curd, coconut caviar, passionfruit jelly, salted oat and ginget crumble, white chocolate mint wafer, ginger macaroon and brilliant white chocolate spray. It's simply delicious. This is a must try if you are in the area and it's worth travelling for.

Our third and final dessert was described as a rhubarb apple crumble cheesecake. It suffered somewhat in comparison to the coconut and passionfruit dessert that came before it - the lightness and delicacy overwhelmed by the tangy freshness of it's predecessor. However it was stunning in it's own right - the sharpness of the rhubarb perfectly complements the supple unctuous cheesecake. The crumble was a great textural foil for the softness of the other elements of the cake.

All three desserts were fabulous. Our problem was that with only the two of us, we had to limit ourselves to the number we could try. It's a very small first world problem, let me tell you. Everything was phenomenally good and we'd have no qualms about giving up dessert in a three hatted restaurant for a chance to eat more of the selection at Burch & Purchese.

In addition to the wonderful desserts, Burch & Purchese also make wonderful confectionery. I purchased a very small selection of items.

Not sure what I am going to do with the raspberry and white chocolate clay I bought - if anyone has any ideas please let me know!

How FABULOUS are these gold ingots? Made from real gold dusted dark chocolate, they are filled with salted caramel. Now that's my idea of heaven.

Or perhaps this is - salted caramel in a jar. Me + this + spoon = one amazing afternoon. Maybe I might share with some vanilla ice-cream.

Passionfruit curd was an absolute must buy, especially once I tried the coconut dessert above. I see me using this in a fabulous pavlova with berries and softly whipped cream. I'm not sure what I will do with the chocolate hazelnut spread with raspberry jam, but I'm thinking a baguette and I should just give it a whirl. I know it will be unbelievable.

All in all an amazing trip to a purveyor of sweet goodness. Highly recommended for a visit.

Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio
647 Chapel Street
South Yarra

http://www.burchandpurchese.com/

Kitty

The great Melbourne Macaron Chase: part 3

2011-08-04T18:10:00.001+10:00

In my research for my Melbourne trip, I stumbled across our next and final stop on the great Melbourne Macaron chase: La Belle Miette. Recommended by numerous blogs around the traps, it was high up on my list of things to do while we were in town. On Thursday morning I made a brief trip into town to collect macarons from Cacao for morning tea and La Belle Miette for a gift for a dear friend, the lovely Mummy from Homemade Heart. The macarons come in such beautiful gift boxes it's just hard to pass them up as a sweet and simple hostess gift. Very Laduree.

I arrived shortly after opening (10am) because I wanted to get a large selection of flavours for both myself and The Mummy. The shop is on Hardware Lane and is very reminiscent of a gorgeous Parisian boutique, decorated in gorgeous icy mint and pastels. The decor is very soothing and pretty.

How pretty are the gift boxes?

They had 15 flavours to select from and their beautiful gift boxes hold 12 which is a nice number for a gift. The flavours currently on sale include 72% Cocoa Single Origin Chocolate (Venezuela),‘Bastille’ – Moet et Chandon and Blackcurrant, Caramel a la Fleur de Sel, Cherry Blossom & Sake, Hazelnut Belle Miette, Lemon, Mariage freres earl grey tea, Olive Oil & Vanilla, Pimm’s & Pomegranate, Pink Grapefruit, Pistachio, Raspberry, Rose, Strawberry & Vanilla and Violet & Blueberry. They also have Ginger & Macadamia which is currently unavailable. I love that the flavours are mostly traditional or have traditional leanings.

The feet on these marvellous beauties are consistent and ruffled, the contrast between biscuit and filling is absolutely perfect for me. They were easily the best of the macarons we tried in Melbourne and were just as good the following few days.

In terms of flavours, all were fabulous but there were some definite stand outs.

The Caramel a la Fleur de Sel is the best of that variety I have ever had. Ever. Fabulous balance of salt and sweet and the sticky unctuousness of the filling is absolute perfection.

The raspberry is like a mouth explosion - the delicate zingy fruitiness is so sublime it defies description.

The chocolate (72% Cocoa Single Origin Chocolate from Venezuela) is like the best chocolate brownie you have ever eaten. The bitterness of the chocolate is a perfect foil for the sweetness of the almondy macaron shell.

The Mariage Freres earl grey tea is sublime - the contrast of the floral tea flavour and the chocolate ganache filling is fabulous.

The Hazelnut Belle Miette is sweet and rich and redolent of nutty goodness. It does remind me of nutella but in a very, very good way. Delish.

The lemon is sherbetty, light and fresh and the Bastille is just gorgeous - the contrast between the Chandon and the blackcurrant is beautiful.

The other flavours are all good, but these were the ones that stood out to me as being the best of the best. I thought La Belle Miette had such good macarons that we went back on Saturday morning and I bought more. More!! Fabulous.

La Belle Miette is located at 30 Hardware Lane, Melbourne, just around the corner from Bourke Street. It opens at 10am Monday to Saturday and closes at 6pm Monday to Friday and 4pm on Saturday or until the macarons run out.

Kitty

The great Melbourne Macaron Chase: part 2

2011-08-03T18:58:00.000+10:00

Our next stop on the great Melbourne macaron chase was Cacao, a Melbourne fine chocolatier and patisseur. They have outlets in a number of shops across Melbourne, including the GPO (where I purchased my selection), Little Collins Street, Doncaster and St Kilda.

Cacao is winner of the 2010 award for best macarons, according to Melbourne Macaron, a student initiative which was judged by Macaron King Adriano Zumbo and Melbourne eating aficionado and Epicure writer and food critic Larissa Dubecki. I purchased a selection of 12 to take to morning tea with a friend, and another 4 to devour with Mr K, not wanting to leave him out of the process. I have to say I didn't try all of the macarons this time around - I stuck to a smaller selection, so apologies in advance for the less than comprehensive reporting.

As a starting point, I didn't think the appearance was as good as those from Luxbite - the feet and biscuits were a little flatter but the taste was definitely better across the board. The texture was the chewiest of all the macarons we tasted.

I selected what I thought would be my favorites for tasting: passionfruit chocolate, lemon, salted caramel and raspberry. I also tried vanilla, earl grey and rose.

The passionfruit chocolate was sensational: velvety and fruity. The lemon was beautifully zingy and the salted caramel highly successful - using real salted caramel in the filling. Salted caramel is the flavour I judge all macaron makers on and this was a fantastic specimen indeed. Raspberry was also lovely and sweet redolent with authentic fruit flavour. Rose was a tad bland - not light, floral and fresh as I was expecting, more sweet and nothing... The earl grey was fine but nothing special.

The highlight for me was the vanilla. The filling was speckled with real vanilla bean and the biscuit retained it's crispness beautifully. Just Delicious. If you only want to try one macaron at Cacao, this is the one. I'd go back for the vanilla one alone. Seriously good.

Coming up soon, our final stop on the Macaron Chase - La Belle Miette!

Kitty

The great Melbourne Macaron Chase: part 1

2011-08-02T10:16:00.003+10:00

I am an absolute lover of Macarons. To me, there is likely nothing better than a beautifully formed morsel of crisp, chewy almondy meringue filled with ganache or fruit. Not all macarons are good. Some are downright terrible. But as part of our travels to Melbourne I had investigated ahead of time and found what were supposedly some of Melbourne's best purveyors of macaron-y goodness.

Now, I am making this disclaimer up front: everyone likes different types of macarons. Some prefer them to be crisp or firm, others favour a more yielding version. Some like lightly flavoured sweets, others prefer flavour to hit them in the face with a great socking punch. But there are some areas in which everyone agree:

1. The feet should be beautifully formed and the biscuit well risen (not too flat)

2. There shouldn't be too many air bubbles or pockets in the biscuit, and

3. The biscuit should be neither too dry nor too soft and the ratio of filling should not make the biscuit too wet

Most people agree on the above. The rest is subjective preference. For example: I believe salted caramel macarons should have a proper salted caramel filling, not a buttercream filling. I judge all those with a proper salted caramel filling to be superior to the buttercream filled versions. No matter what. Others might disagree with me. I say that's ok. But for me, there are some hard and fast things that work and don't.

But enough with the theory - let's get started on the practical element!

Our first visit was to LuxBite, a patisserie on Toorak Road in South Yarra. An up and coming establishment, they are known for their macarons and their fancy desserts and cakes.

We bought a selection of eight macarons. They usually have a selection of 16 but in an attempt to preserve what is left of my figure (can I state for the record that it's not much) I opted to try just a sample with Mr K as my accomplice and a few had sold out given we were there late in the afternoon. We chose salted caramel, kaya toast, kaffir lime, choc cherry, rose and lychee, passionfruit, strawberry cream and mandarin and saffron.

Uniformly, the feet were good and the texture and appearance were consistent, if a tad on the wet/sticky side. Our favourites were the passionfruit - deliciously tangy and light with a zingy curd centre, and the kaya toast with it's smooth sweet buttery coconut flavour. Rose and Lychee was delicate and pretty. Strawberry Cream was sweet and unctuous with a strong strawberry hit in the filling.

The others were a little more disappointing. Choc cherry was a bit boring, and we had to search long and hard for any cherry elements, the macaron being almost overwhelmed by dark sweet chocolate. Kaffir lime was a tad odd - the main element of the lime leaf added to a dark chocolate ganache filling. I see where they were going in theory, but the combination for me did not work. Sad because I LOVE kaffir lime and I was really looking forward to this one. The aftertaste was somewhat soapy.

Mandarin and saffron was a little too sweet, lacking the tang I would normally associate with mandarins. It tasted a little like sweet generic citrus. The salted caramel was buttercream based (so not a winner from the start with me) and I managed to get a whacking great hit of salt in my first mouthful. The rest of the macaron wasn't as salty but the first mouthful ruined the taste for me.

So a bit of a mixed bunch I have to say. I'd go back for the passionfruit option though, and perhaps to try the chocolate freckle and raspberry white chocolate which had both sold out when we were there.

Stay tuned for two more posts on Melbourne's macarons!

Kitty

BACK.

2011-08-01T18:24:00.002+10:00

We - Miss Kitty and Mr K - are back from our trip to Melbourne. We had a wonderful time, ate and shopped ourselves silly. Well, I shopped myself silly... I think Mr K may bave bought a magazine...

Some of the highlights which I will blog about over the next week include shopping at Twiggy Winkle in Toorak, the great Melbourne Macaron hunt and lunch at Innocent Bystander on Sunday (and meals at many other wonderful places).

Stay tuned for the debrief.

K xx

PS: my Babi delivery arrived while I was away. Everything is as amazing as it looks on the screen. I am super impressed.

Babi

2011-07-26T16:41:00.001+10:00

The Mummy over at Homemade Heart has put me onto a lot of great things for the baby. Marquise branded jump suits, the Bugaboo Cameleon, clothes made by Bebe by Minihaha and Pure Baby... And my latest obsession is something she mentioned on her blog ages ago - the website Babi!

Babi is the only online store dedicated to the indispensible, adorable baby all in one. The Onesie. The Jumpsuit. Whatever you like to call it, that's what they do. And they do it very well indeed!

Up until now, I have been uber (some might say hyper) efficient in buying Little Miss K gorgeous outfits for her first year. Great dresses, leggings, cardis, all (well mostly) in pink of course... But the practical things like onesies never seem to make it into my shopping cart. Well, not as often as they should, given how much wear she'll likely get out of them.

Visiting Babi means you can rectify that in one easy transaction. And the fact that quality brands like Gaia and Pure Baby and Bebe are easily available in one great location. You don't get distracted by superfluous dresses and cardigans. it's all about practicality. And a little bit of fun at the same time of course!

Over the weekend I made a few choice purchases:

This Bebe by Minihaha summer onesie with RABBITS on it! So cute and great value at $19. They also have a long sleeved version with rabbits - I can neither confirm nor deny that with was also purchased.

This very sweet Gaia onesie which I think will be very practical over the summer months. I love the green stripes and the price - just $19.

This Bluebird and Honey aqua jumpsuit, sweetly named the Hausfrau. Isn't it lovely? Perfect for an outing on a warm summer day and at only $22 a good bargain!

Many products are organic and they even have a good reange for smaller and premmie babies which is lovely. Shipping is a very reasonable $6.50 flat rate to anywhere in Australia. With bargains like that I am sure to be back very soon!

Kitty

Silver Bangle Love.

2011-07-25T16:53:00.000+10:00

I'm a sucker for a great bangle. I always love something jangley or bangley on my wrist. For a long time I lusted after an Hermes Clic Clac but after finally getting around to trying one on, I found they really didn't suit me. At all. Mr K was ridiculously relieved about that.

Unfortunately I actually discovered I loved the larger, more expensive Hermes Bangles instead. But I can't really justify the price.... Really. Well, maybe...

I have a gorgeous black and silver Coach bangle which I wear all the time and an Alexander McQueen skull bangle which I love. While in the US this year I purchased a very pretty silver Kate Spade bangle which has "hand in hand" engraved around the outside and "there's strength in numbers" engraved on the inside. So pretty and particularly poignant at this point in time for Mr K and I.

Something I now have my eye on is the beautiful Mim Precious "In the Weave" bangle, new from Mimco. It reminds me of the bamboo bangles from John Hardy, but far more economical. It's beautiful. The Mim Precious range seems to be somewhat of a departure for Mimco. Known almost exclusively for their great quality bags and fashion accessories, this is the first time they have made the foray into semi precious jewellery. Using silver, agate, freshwater pearls and marcasite, the collection offers both classic and collectible pieces - bangles, necklaces, charms and earrings. Definitely something I love, and for me, the bangle at $229 is a steal. A great buy. Perhaps even a bargain! It shall be mine!

Kitty

PS: And maybe the matching earrings too...

Mr Kitty gets a jump start on the nursery.

2011-07-22T17:54:00.000+10:00

Mr K has been a busy little cat over the last week. He has moved out of his study in preparation for turning it into the baby's room. Years worth of paper to be sorted. The study is located next to our bedroom so it's really quite convenient to be used as a baby room. Mr K has temporarily relocated to our formal lounge (which we never use) and seems quite happy there.

He's been a busy cat indeed, spending the weekend painting the room - we opted for Dulux Fair Bianca in Half strength. I was leaning towards a soft pink but I thought it might be too much. Having a neutral base to work with means you can do so much more with the accessories!

We have chosen a chair, some shelves and a chest of drawers from Ikea.

We already have the cot, and the mattress etc. arrived today.

I have some decorative items, including an owl cushion from the Lovely Naomi from Manic Muffin Totes, but I am waiting until the furniture is all in before going nuts on the "stuff". I also need to finalise curtains quite quickly.

Lots of progress, but it feels like we still have so much to do!

Kitty

Candle, candle, burning bright....

2011-07-21T18:03:00.000+10:00

Sydney Shop Girl inspired this post. She posted the other day about her evening ritual of a cup of T2 tea and a scented candle. It sounded to relaxing and luxurious I couldn't help but replicate the activity.

I have many scented candles in my collection - the vast majority of them still in their boxes in pristine unlit condition. So, in response to the rainy dreary weather Sydney is currently in the midst of, I made an effort tonight to pull one out from my scented candle candle cupboard (yes, I have a cupboard for them). Continuing this week's theme of Red, tonight's choice was simple.

I bought this Diptyque candle in New York last year. I stumbled across the shop on a walk through the West Village. It's a tiny hole in the wall, blink and you'll miss it. But I made a number of choice purchases while Mr K was siting outside basking in the warm sunshine. This was one of them. With sweet notes of Madagascar vanilla, tobacco, fresh Rooïbos and undertones of wood and balsam, this limited edition candle smells divine. Warm and soothing, perfect for a cold Winter's night. And another bonus - ten percent of the proceeds of each (diptyque)RED special edition candle goes to help to eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Not only does it perfume my house beautifully, I feel better about the world by striking a match.

Diptyque candles are available in Australia at Mecca Cosmetica. They are expensive there but if you can't buy them overseas they are still worth the investment. Just perhaps a little less frequently. I also like the Roses and Geranium Rosa candles in the fragrance line up.

Kitty

Cherry red wrapping...

2011-07-20T18:55:00.002+10:00

Gosh. Golly Golly Gosh.

If only I weren't pregnant, I'd be all over this dress like a rash. It's divine. So beautiful. My ideal shade of red. It's jersey. The perfect style for my shape (pre-bump). Divine. The price is insane, but I'd pay it. (PS: it's cheaper on the UK site than the US site by around $550. Crazy but true).

Unfortunately I am stuck with dresses more like this for the next three months at least. Still gorgeous, but not quite the same I don't think. I ordered this dress in black - I think it's more slimming for a gal in my situation - I'm afraid of looking like a giant tomato in the red. In the black, I'll feel a little less like a Christmas present waiting to be opened. Will report back on the fit and shape when I receive it. I am quite excited though.

When you think about it though, it's worth the compromise in the end.

Kitty

More Elk.

2011-07-19T18:15:00.002+10:00

Longtime readers of this blog will know I have an ongoing love affair with the accessories brand Elk. I think their items are stunning - on trend, well made and moderately priced.

Whilst purchasing a gift for a friend, I stumbled across this necklace.

It's something I have seen before and liked but never got around to purchasing. At $45, I thought it was really good value so I clicked and purchased. Shipping is reasonable at a flat rate of $10.

It arrived today. I am very pleased with my purchase, even though it's a little more casual than I was anticipating. The beads are chunky and fun. I have loads of formal jewellery so a casual addition to my collection is definitely not unwelcome!

Kitty

Marmalade.

2011-07-14T19:29:00.003+10:00

Mr K likes Marmalade. A creature of habit, he has a selection of breads every morning for breakfast, spread lovingly with promite, nut butter (usually ABC spread) and some kind of sticky jam-like marmaladey substance (on separate pieces, not the same bit of bread).

He likes jam too - apricot, peach... But at the moment oranges are in season so I decided to tackle marmalade, having successfully conquered jam earlier this year. I made commercial quantities of apricot jam with the almost 10 kilos of apricots we purchased at the markets and a smaller quantity of subtle yet delicious peach jam which has a rosy tint and a floral nose. It's by far and away my favourite of the preserves we have made.

But back to today's activity: Marmalade! It's trickier than jam in the sense that it takes quite a bit longer to make - normal jam netts you 6-8 jars in about an hour. This takes more like 2 and a half hours. But it's really not that hard - you just need to keep an eye on it.

1.5kg oranges (I used ruby red oranges from Harris Farm) or other citrus fruit - a mixture of grapefruits, oranges and lemons would work well
1.2L water
2.5kg sugar
25g Jamsetta (available at supermarket near the sugar)
Juice from one lemon (optional - see below)

Scrub oranges well, cut into quarters removing the endy bits and the pips. Slice thinly - about 3-5mm wide strips. Place in preserving pan or very large saucepan with the water and cook gently uncovered until the fruit is soft (1-2 hours, this batch took almost 2 hours).

Warm sugar in a large ovenproof bowl in an oven preheated to 150 degrees for 10 minutes. Stir sugar and Jamsetta into orange mixture and heat gently until dissolved. Bring to the boil for at least 10 minutes.

To check if the jam is set, spoon a small amount of jam onto a saucer that has been in the freezer for a few minutes. Let to sit for 3 or more minutes - set jam should crinkle when you run your finger through it. If it doesn't, boil for an additional 3-5 minutes and test again. Add the lemon juice to taste - the marmalade shouldn't be too sweet and you can use the lemon juice to temper some of the sweetness. You won't need this if you use sour fruit like grapefruits. My oranges were really sweet so I used the lemon.

This batch of marmalade took about 20 minutes to reach setting point. It won't set stiff like store bought jam, but that's a good thing. Remove jam from heat, let sit for 5-10 minutes and pour into sterilised warm dry jars. Seal immediately with lids and turn upside down for a few minutes.

To sterilise jars: wash in warm soapy water, rinse with hot clean water and place on a tray upside down in a preheated 150 degree oven until the jars are dry. Remove the jars from the oven and allow to cool slightly before pouring in the marmalade. The jars should be warm, not molten hot! Wash the lids thoroughly and dry but do not put them in the oven.

This batch made 10 decent sized jars of sticky yummy marmalade. Total cost - $5.65 in total (plus jars). Bargain!

Enjoy!

Kitty

A Decision.

2011-07-10T15:20:00.002+10:00

Ladies (and gents, if there are any reading)...

It's a momentous day in the Kitty household. We have come to a decision on the baby bag.

Behold the Skip Hop Duo Deluxe in Lime!! When I listed all the things I wanted from a baby bag it ended up being the one that ticked all the boxes. Plenty of room, loads of pockets, versatile in that it clips to the Boo or can be carried as a shoulder bag and it almost matches the light green cover for my Boo. Almost. Plus it's not too girlie (important as Mr K doesn't want to feel like a wuss when he carries it around) and it's bright enough we are unlikely to lose it in the house like I do my handbags. It also came in under my (albeit arbitrary) $100 threshold which makes Mr K happy too.

It's been ordered, along with the mattress and linen for the oddly sized cot we seem to have purchased, from Bambini Pronto. It's due to arrive tomorrow so I'll report back with my thoughts!

Kitty

Boo-yah!!

2011-07-09T11:09:00.000+10:00

How unbelievable is this romper?

I saw it and I had to have it.

Part of yesterday's haul from the Baby's got Style sale, it is so ridiculously cute I am already crying for when she grows out of it. Slightly preemptive but there's no accounting for pregnancy hormones, is there?

It's from the cute kids label Rock Your Baby. They have some amazing things that are so sweet - some of their dresses are just divine. I think I'll have to hand my credit cards over to Mr K at this rate!

Kitty

PS: BGS seems to have sold out of the short sleeved version but the long sleeved version is still available! You can still buy the short sleeved version directly from Rock Your Baby.

Dear Baby...

2011-07-08T16:06:00.002+10:00

Dear Baby,

Mummy has a favour to ask, precious. Can you please stop her buying cute little things for you to wear? When she stumbles upon a website with lots and lots of yummy sweet things to buy, can you remind her that you already have lost of clothes and she might want to wait a little while before buying anything else? Sales just make things even harder for her self control.

Besides, Daddy gets angry when he has to go to the post office every day to pick things up for you. And he gets even crosser when he sees the credit card bill.

Lots of love,

Mummy xx

Like a black and red magpie...

2011-06-29T10:25:00.004+10:00

Last year when I was in the UK I bought a divine Alexander McQueen scarf from the outlet at Bicester Village. It wasn't a cheap purchase (about 130 pounds minus the VAT refund, I seem to recall) but I loved it so much I couldn't resist, plus the price was very good for AMcQ. I'd been seeing it online for a while but missed out buying it in the NAP sale. It was the magpie scarf in red and black - identical to this one but in reverse (the red is around the edge rather than the black). I finally wore it for the first time yesterday and I find myself attempting to design outfits around the scarf now. It also, when draped the right way, distracts very well from the whale like proportions of my baby bump!

And now, like the magpie that I am, I have spotted this scarf on Net-a-Porter...

It's not on sale but it's totally totally me, however I'm not sure I can convince myself it's a good buy right now. But it is amazing. And I'm sure that despite the price it will be very economical on a CPW basis over a number of years...

I'm erring on the side of not buying it and being responsible but I'm willing to be convinced though!

Kitty

A bag for the baby.

2011-06-24T16:21:00.000+10:00

I have many handbags. I know - you are shocked. So am I, if I am being honest. But there is one thing I don't have and that's a bag that is suitable for toting baby stuff around the shop. Or shops, in my case.

I have been keeping my eye out for a suitable receptacle for baby things. But the actual problem is that I don't know how much I'll be carrying around with me. Is it a suitcase worth? A couple of nappies and a muslin? If you have any advice about size or function I'd very much appreciate it (keeping in mind my handbags are often the size of small suitcases).

In the interim, here are some I have found that might work.

This silver spectacle from Seed Child ($139): I thought it would work because of the neutral colour. In my opinion you just can't go wrong with silver. And I love Seed.

The Bryn Nappy Bag from Soon Maternity. It's on sale for $89.95 which makes it really attractive and it's nice and colourful. There are other colours on sale too!

The Skip Hop Duo Diaper Bag. Really cheap at $58, but it has to get shipped from the US which adds extra cost. Or alternatively available from Bambini Pronto for $99.95. The multitude of colours and the great reviews makes it a really attractive option. Plus it has clips that attach it to any stroller which means your hands are free for other things and the weight of all those baby things doesn't weigh you down.

If anyone has any advice about things that are important in a nappy/baby bag, I would very much appreciate it. I know it needs loads of pockets, for example, so that I can put things like bottles and toys and muslins in them. The rest is a bit of a mystery to me!

Kitty xx

Baby's sure got style!

2011-06-23T18:19:00.001+10:00

One of the good things about having a baby is the vast number of baby stores you now have the liberty of shopping at for your little one. My most recent discovery is Baby's Got Style, an uber chic store devoted to the very best of baby and children's clothes. Brands like Bebe, Purebaby, Coco & Ginger, Marquise - all in the one place.

Personally, I have a very soft spot for Bebe. Their designs are so chic and cute, particularly for baby girls. Although Little Miss Kitty has loads of pretty clothes already, I couldn't resist buying a few choice pieces. Just a few.

This cute pink ribbed cardigan:
This divine Milly pink ribbon dress:

This divine purple Polly romper:

And matching Polly Matinee jacket:

And a divine Daphne Liberty Print Frock:

I really really wanted the beautiful Tatum Liberty print frock (pictured below) and matching bloomers, but unfortunately they didn't have a size that would be suitable for this coming summer and I think, even for me, buying 18 months in advance is ridiculously organised (and OTT). Plus it's really quite spenny for baby clothes. I might have to wait and see if it comes on sale at any stage.

I also adore this gorgeous floral bow romper from Alex and Ant. It was definitely touch and go with this one, but I thought I would wait until my next order for this beauty. It's ridiculously cute!

So many beautiful things, so little time. And a very small budget in my case!

Kitty x

Soon Maternity.

2011-06-22T19:35:00.001+10:00

From Miu Miu, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Valentino to...

Well, not the aforementioned designers. Or anything remotely approaching them, frankly. Maternity wear has, admittedly, come a very long way since the floral tents with gigantic collars sported by HRH Princess Diana when she was pregnant with future King William. But not that far.

Maternity wear remains, for the most part, unglamorous, anti-fashionable and badly constructed from poor quality materials. And expensive. I picked up a few things while I was in the US but given the seasonality, they are clothes to be layered. With cardigans. And - in Sydney weather of the moment - fleece lined tights.

But rest assured, my constant searching has pulled up a few gems among the dross and disappointment. Chief among them are the garments designed by Soon Maternity.

My chief requirement (other than comfort, of course) when buying clothing for my pregnancy is that they would be in the style I would wear when not pregnant. By that, I mean they are my style. Soon Maternity has me covered on that front. Their designs are on-trend, well made and frankly, clothes I would wear while not pregnant.

Case in point: the Sienna dress. I saw this on their website and slightly skeptical about the fit and quality, I sought out a retailer to see for myself what the clothes looked like. And I wasn't disappointed. It's made of thick jersey that is warm but breathable. The scooped neck is very flattering. The gathering on the sides is bump friendly. But most importantly, it's a dress I would have bought when I wasn't pregnant. And at $129.95, reasonably well priced given its versatility. I have had it two weeks and have already worn it five times.

Their other items look to be of similar quality and practicality. The Flora Fold pants look very comfy yet still chic and basics like the Soon Basic Long Sleeve Scoop Tee look very practical and economical. The Georgie Wrap Jacket is definitely on my must have list.

I know there are other labels out there who make good maternity garments (Pea in a Pod, for example). But for my money you have a long way to go to beat the combination of quality, great material and style that Soon provides. Soon Maternity make great clothes that are not only good basics but also separates and garments that are fantastic for work and, dressed up with the right accessories, perfect for a night out. I'll definitely be lining up for more of this!

Kitty

Miss Kitty on Struggle Street...

2011-06-21T18:23:00.002+10:00

I have a terrible cold. For a week now I have been laid up, snuffling. I hate complaining but after living through this cold without the help of codral, cold and flu tablets - even the soothing help of menthol - I hope never to complain about a cold again.

The strongest thing I have been able to take is a Lemsip. Lemsip! The insult to cold and flu remedies! I swear, even Kinder Surprises would have more of an impact on my cold than Lemsip!

Suffice to say I have been eating oranges, drinking juice, chugging down vitamin C like no-one's business. Still to no avail. Lucky no sinusitis this time around - thank goodness for small mercies.

In the interim I have been researching for the baby - mainly important and glam things like car seats. My main discovery over the past few weeks is that many people who work in baby shops know little about car seats. We have been told so many different things about which car seat is best - one sales assistant even told us a seat that has a one star rating was "the best in terms of safety on the market". WTF??

So we went off and did our own research. We have decided on the Meridian AHR Tilt and Adjust which tested very safely in both forward and rear facing mode. We found the best thing to do was check the CREP ratings for their unbiased testing results. It's an expensive option but worth the money in terms of safety and protection. Now, we'll go out and buy it!
In the spirit of "one for me, one for the baby", I made a small purchase last night at the Net-a-Porter sale. Continually on the hunt for the perfect black handbag, I came across this beauty. I had a shipping voucher so the total cost was a little more than $400. For a leather Burberry handbag. Bargain I say!

There are lots of very pretty things in the sale - it's definitely worth a look. Especially if you have lots of time in bed resting like I seem to have at the moment!

Kitty xx

Leopardy goodness...

2011-06-12T15:12:00.000+10:00

This is one spoiled baby. Not only does she have a gorgeous range of clothes purchased in the US, her Mummy is going crazy in the sales here.

Case in point: UrbanBaby are having a sale and I couldn't resist. Little Miss Kitty is now the proud owner of this Leopard Print Arrangement. It's so very cute and I have been eyeing it off ever since I fell pregnant. Once it was reduced, I snapped to it and bought it for her in a size that will fit next winter (6-9 months). I particularly like the shoe/sock and hat arrangement. Too cute.

They still have sets in stock in many different prints (cow, giraffe, bee and ladybird, amongst them) and at $30 (reduced from $49.95) plus $6.95 shipping I think they are a bit of a bargain.

Kitty

Carnivals and horses...

2011-06-10T18:06:00.000+10:00

I've been thinking about themes for the baby's room and I stumbled across the idea of Carnival and rocking horses which I think is eminently practical for a little girl.

However...

I also stumbled across this beautiful bangle for moi... Not particularly practical but it is divine. Made by NZ designer Trelise Cooper, it's a bijoux delight. A cuff with such delicate whimsy it would be suitable for a girl of all ages.

Unfortunately the price makes it a little out of reach to be truly practical. $595 NZD (approximately $462 AUD) is a bit pricey for this girl who has just been indulging rather heavily in the retail arts in the US. Shipping isn't too bad - $21.75 from NZ, which considering the price of the bangle, is very reasonable.

I perhaps should focus my efforts on looking for things for the little Kitten...

Kitty

The In-betweener.

2011-06-03T17:15:00.000+10:00

Today I wore a maternity frock for the first time. The drama. It was awful. I felt huge. MASSIVE. It changed the way I walked (waddled) and stood and I found myself rubbing my not insubstantial bump more frequently - perhaps so people wouldn't just think I was fat. I was very self conscious. In fact, I hated it. I thought I'd love being in maternity clothes but I really didn't. It was a very strange feeling.

I now feel like I am really at that in-between stage of my pregnancy. I have officially today hit the halfway mark (20 weeks). My pre-pregnancy clothes are getting rather tight but my bump is not yet big enough for proper maternity clothes.

Case in point - with my not unattractive in and of itself maternity frock, I was going to wear a pair of maternity leggings I purchased in the US - correct combo no? Unfortunately the leggings are really too big for me, rolling down over my stomach and falling down my legs. They are the correct size on the label but uncomfortable and far too big, considering I have reasonable bumpage going on already. I struggled into a pair of pre-pregnancy opaques instead - better tight than losing your leggings in the middle of Chatswood Chase, in my opinion. So despite feeling massive, I'm not actually big enough to be in maternity wear. The irony.

This in-between phase will likely end very soon. I'll fit properly into maternity clothes before I know it. It's really not the end of the world and no doubt I'll look back on the time fondly when I still made it into my favourite pre-pregnancy duds, albeit tenuously and only the ones with a lot of stretch. And honestly, I do feel a bit ungrateful after all we went through to get pregnant, complaining about feeling and looking pregnant. Silly really, isn't it?

Life goes on. In other news, Little Miss Kitty is now the proud owner of this fabulous cardi and hat set from Seed:

Inordinately expensive for baby gear but it was just so darn cute I couldn't pass it up. She'll look fab I think and it's so soft. I bought 6-12 months so she'll be getting around in it next winter.

Kitty xx

It's a baby girl kitten!

2011-06-02T10:01:00.001+10:00

We had our 19 week morphology scan last week. It's so exciting to see the baby moving on the big screen. We got a wave from our little one and saw lots of rolling around. All the measurements seem to be in line with our dates and our obstetrician is happy with the progress thus far.

The baby's movements get more and more definite every day. They have migrated from small indistinct flutters to definite movements. There are active periods and periods of sleeping every day. It's so funny to think our little one is developing patterns and habits already.

The most exciting news is we decided to find out what we were having, and it looks like we'll be welcoming a little girl into our house in October. Very exciting news, although I was convinced we were having a boy, despite everyone else thinking I was having a girl. Shows Mummas don't always know best, and hence we only had a boys name agreed. We have started a list of girls names so if anyone has any brilliant suggestions please let me know. Our only requirements are that it needs to not have S sounds (our interesting and somewhat unpronounceable surname has two S sounds in it already) and the name needs to be reasonably common - but not too common - to offset the unusual nature of the surname she will be saddled with.

I am now fascinated with little girl clothes, hence the purchase of the above onesie from Seed when I was in town yesterday. I also spotted an ocelot cardigan which has Little Miss Kitty's name written all over it...

It's going to be an expensive few months methinks.

Kitty

Leona Edmiston SALE!

2011-05-27T09:06:00.002+10:00

Hi chickens,

A brief note from me this morning. I got an email from Leona Edmiston HQ yesterday informing me that for the next three days they were having a 50% off EVERYTHING mid year sale!

The sale is both online and in-store and is off the original price. Sale ends on Sunday 29th May.

Go forth and purchase!

Kitty xx

I feel so out of the loop...

2011-05-26T10:51:00.002+10:00

There is one thing I don't like about being away (other than the unpacking). It's the missing out on things that go on in your absence.

I missed the first episode of The Kennedys. I missed all the shenanigans on Masterchef. What's this thing called Planking? And when did Tim ask Julia to marry him??

Having said all that, I don't think I really missed out on too much... Based on friends' responses to my plea for an update on facebook about Masterchef goings on, most people said this year the contestants were boring and untalented. The Kennedys got mixed reviews from most people and I'm not convinced about Katie Holmes playing Jackie. It's a bit like Joan Rivers playing Lady Macbeth really. Entertaining but for all the wrong reasons. Planking seems to have come and gone, very fad like. Still don't know what it was about but that's likely for the best I think. And as for the dross in Womans Day, the less said the better.

No, it seems like life has gone on as per usual with me not in the country. Although it has gotten very cold here in Sydney. The strappy maxi dresses I swanned around in whilst in Vegas clearly won't do for this frosty weather. I'll have to layer up for my daily goings on instead.

Luckily I bought a little bit in the US. Mostly for Smudge (aka Baby Kitty) and many presents for friends babies and my niece and nephews but Mumma got in on the action as well, naturally. We came home with five pieces of luggage yesterday totalling (according to the baggage tags) 130kg. Please keep in mind that included a crib (the Bloom Alma in Coconut White) which weighed in at 25kilos full packed and the Bugaboo Cameleon in it's travel bag which is about 22kilos. So there's quite a bit of extra stuff that did come home with us, considering we took less than 40kilos between us to begin with.

The problem with all those purchases, unfortunately, is that they do need to be unpacked. Boo! Guess what's on my agenda over the next few days? I'll give you a hint - not catching up on old episodes of Masterchef...

Kitty

Miss Kitty apologises...

2011-05-19T13:46:00.002+10:00

Miss Kitty has been in the US for the past two or so weeks. Intermittent internets means no posting. Sad Kitty.

Kitty has made herself feel better by buying lots of things for both herself and baby Kitty, known in these parts as Smudge. Even Mr K has been getting in on the act!

She'll be back mid next week with lots for show and tell.

Kitty xx

PS: One of those things may just be a Tiffany Lock...

Tiffany&Co Locks

2011-05-03T14:49:00.006+10:00

Last year Mr Kitty and I went to New York. One of my favorite things to do while there is to visit Tiffanys on Fifth Avenue and browse all the wonderful sparkle-arkles. And scare Mr Kitty with some of the prices, but that's by the by. Apparently people really do go into the store and request breakfast, a la Audrey Hepburn.

Mr K, being the lovely husband he is, wanted to buy me something special to commemorate the trip and I had a bit of a soft spot for the Tiffany Key collection, specifically the Fleur de Lys silver key.

Mr K made the purchase and I have had the immense pleasure of wearing it for the past year. It makes me smile so much - not only the memory of our trip to the US last year but also the symbolism as Mr K will always have the key to my heart and I have the key to his.

Fast forward a year and the clever clogs design team at Tiffany have launched a companion design, the Tiffany Lock collection. I'm mad for a lock to wear alongside my key. Again, the meaning behind it is complementary - a key and lock go together so well and really complete the love meaning of the collections.

I'm very keen on getting one and have narrowed it down to the following few:

This gorgeous vintage inspired lock in silver ($270, chain extra)

This classic polished emblem lock pendant in silver ($270, chain extra)

And if Mr K is feeling exceptionally generous, I quite like this heart lock pendant studded with gorgeous diamonds ($5,200). But I'm not holding my breath! It would look stunning with the Fleur de Lys key though - but perhaps I would need to upgrade to a diamond one?

A girl can dream can't she?

Kitty

Update: Missoni for Bugaboo in Australia!

2011-05-03T12:21:00.002+10:00

You read it correctly folks! The kind folks at Bugaboo have released Australian pricing for the Missoni for Bugaboo limited edition Cameleon and Bee strollers.

According to Babyology, here is the pricing for Australia:

Bugaboo Cameleon + Missoni accessory set as a complete stroller: $ 1829.95

Bugaboo Cameleon Missoni accessory set: $ 409.95

Bugaboo Bee + Missoni accessory set as a complete stroller: $ 1188.95

Bugaboo Bee Missoni accessory set: $ 279.90

I'm still getting my Cameleon overseas but I am being very very nice to Mr Kitty - he might just let me get the fabric set for the Camy if I am super good... No word on who the Australian stockists might be - stay tuned.

Kitty

Missoni for Bugaboo!

2011-05-02T21:14:00.003+10:00

Oh my goodness - how stunning are these prams? It's the new limited edition Missoni design for Bugaboo, available in the Bee and Cameleon models! They'll be available exclusively in Neiman Marcus in the US and a few stores in Canada from July - no word on Australian stockists as yet. There may not be any at all. Wouldn't that be awful!

They really are just divine. If I knew I was having a girl I'd buy one in a heartbeat. But alas I think the Cameleon design is a bit girlie for a little boy and I think the light green solid colour is more practical long term for either girls or boys.

Kitty

The Royal Wedding: The not so best dressed.

2011-05-01T08:17:00.001+10:00

I have to say there were so many well dressed people at the wedding I was loathed to put together a worst, or not so best, dressed list. That was, until I saw some of our honourable nominees. There are some people here who do need some serious help, people!

First on the list:

Chelsy Davy

Prince Harry's on again off again girlfriend was a surprise inclusion on the guestlist for many royal watchers. Her style is more relaxed than Kate's. That's being quite kind. Her look for the wedding was neither polished nor appropriate - her off the shoulder Alberta Ferretti suit was ill fitting and too short, her hair was a mess, her makeup badly applied and her fascinator didn't match anything. Her shoes were lovely though - pity that when you got to the ankles it was all over. The whole look was badly reminiscent of the 1980's. Based on this alone, I'd say there's a good chance we're not going to see Princess Chelsy anytime soon...

Tara Palmer Tomkinson

Sometimes there is such a thing as too much matching. This is one of those cases. Too much blue. The hat is too severe. The less said about the gloves the better. If the intention behind this outfit was to detract from her cocaine ravaged and rebuilt nose then she failed. She looks like an extra from Star Trek. If she'd ditched the gloves and opted for a different colour shoe and handbag selection it would have been much better.

Samantha Cameron

The former director at Smythson and wife of the current British Prime Minister was one I was looking forward to seeing at this wedding . She usually looks very elegant and stylish. Her Burberry dress was a nice colour but too casual for the event. The orange accessories weren't a good match in my opinion. And her decision not to wear a hat broke the dress code (she wore a small, flat flower behind her right ear). This is an occasion which called for hats (few and far between) and she missed. she should have a better understanding of protocol.

Miriam Gonzalez Duantez

The wife of Nick Clegg, the deputy Prime Minister, is usually one lauded for her fashion choices but on this occasion I found myself screaming "Too much!! Too much!!" at the computer screen. The poppies on the hat, the spotted net, the draped and gathered netting over the shoulder, the too long hemline.... All combined to make for a bit of a disaster. The hat by itself may have been a nice statement piece if she had worn a solid black outfit. She may have even made the best dressed list in that case!

Princess Anne

Usually an automatic inclusion on this list, I have to say it was touch and go this time around. The green and purple clash terribly but the fact that the suit actually fits her is what makes it borderline. The hat is what tips her over the edge. It's a no for me.

The Yorkies

A divisive inclusion on this list - there is no doubt. Princess Eugenie is automatically on the list for her selection of an unflattering Vivienne Westwood outfit combined with a Philip Treacy pirate hat. Princess Beatrice is a little more difficult - her Valentino Haute Couture collection coat, dress and shoes I though were very appropriate for the occasion. What let her down was the ridiculous hatinator she wore on the front of her head. People have universally panned it - calling it everything from a pretzel (just in case she got hungry during the ceremony) to a Bambi reindeer impression. I don't get this trend for wearing hats on your face. It just looks silly. She has looked so much better in my opinion.

So who do you think needed the help of a stylist?

Kitty

Images featured from The Telegraph and Getty Images.

A Royal Wedding: The best dressed...

2011-04-30T15:42:00.001+10:00

Always controversial, the best/worst dressed lists at a wedding (particularly one as high profile as this one) are always fraught with debate and vigorous discussion. it seems everyone has a different opinion as to who belongs on which and people rarely agree.

I'm drawing a line in the sand though - here are my picks.

A clarification up front: Just because someone didn't make the list it doesn't mean they aren't well dressed. There were lots of beautifully dressed people, I can't possibly include them all. But here are the pick of the bunch, in my eyes, anyway!

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Always polished, age appropriate and dressed beautifully at events such as these. She still ranks up there as one of my favourite royal brides. At this wedding she wore a gorgeous frock coat in duck egg blue and champagne by Anna Valentine (who also designed both her wedding dresses and the wedding dress of her daughter Laura) and a stunning Philip Treacy Hat. The curve of the hat adds a certain softness to the outfit which suits her very well. The flare of the coat at the bottom suits her figure beautifully - this is a woman who understands what suits her and what photographs well. It's a breathtaking ensemble.

Pippa Middleton

It's a rare bride who is outdone by her bridesmaid, but in this case I think I like Pippa's dress more than Kate's. The silhouette is quintessential McQueen - the structured shoulder, the cap sleeve, the draping; and it was so very sexy while still remaining demure and covered up, helped by the choice of silk backed crepe for the fabric no doubt. It's a hard line to tread for a traditional church service but she is perfection. Her hair was beautifully done and the dress fit her perfectly. A trend setter to watch for the future.

Crown Crincess Victoria of Sweden

Victoria rarely puts a foot wrong. Her style is mature but still fashion forward. She always looks elegant and age appropriate but never like someone else (no mutton here!). She understands formality and ceremony and I think she cuts the perfect figure here - not too formal, not too casual, not too sexy, but sexy enough. The Elie Saab dress in tangerine, a colour not many people can wear, is not only beautiful on her but very of the moment. Her jewellery is discrete and her hat is simple and elegant. Plus her husband, the handsome Duke of Vastergotland, is the ultimate accessory.

Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands

They say a big genuine smile is the greatest accessory a girl can have. If that's the case, then Maxima always has it covered. From black tie event to horsing around with her kids, she always looks relaxed and gorgeous. Her ensemble here is perfect - the on trend blush lace suits her blonde colouring and her hat, positioned further towards the back of her head, gives everyone a good view of her pretty face. Accessories are simple and classic. A winner.

Crown Princess Pavlos (Marie-Chantal) of Greece

A dark horse among the European Royals, MC doesn't often feature on many of my best dressed lists, as she tends to wear things that I find too pale for her or sometimes aging or dowdy. But in this instance, she is all class. The silvery blue-grey really suits her, the textured slip dress is stylish and the hat is a work of art. It's high drama couture without being too over the top. Plus I love the matching Louboutin shoes. This is one instance where I think people might disagree with me as it could be seen as too eclectic for some. So be it.

Julia Gillard

Now I'm not sure Joooolya has ever featured on anyone's best dressed list, but I have to say she absolutely exceeded expectations on this occasion. I loved the origami style pleating on the Aurelio Costarella jacket and I think she looks lovely in navy. I love that she (or her stylist) mixed and matched designers and that her hat was not couture. It shows you don't have to spend a lot of money to look really fabulous. He hair was fantastic too - the ehole look was appropriate and for once she outdid our normally very stylish Governor General. Julia's style on the most recent overseas trip has been fabulous to watch - elegant, sophisticated. Keep up the excellent work!

Kitty

Images featured from Hello Magazine, news.com.au, The LA Times and Getty Images.

A Royal Wedding...

2011-04-30T09:31:00.001+10:00

Where to start?

Loved the trees, loved the flowers (or lack thereof - very minimal and environmentally sound), loved some of the guests (more later). Thought the ceremony was understated and the pomp and circumstance was muted, as appropriate for a family wedding. Thought Kate Middleton's dress was very pretty.

The really good bits: The dress looked superb on her - it fit her like a glove and the style very much suited her. It emphasised her tiny waist and spectacular shoulders. I loved the lace bodice and the simplicity. It was the perfect dress for her. The fact she wore a tiara - The Cartier Halo tiara (one given to the Queen Mother by her husband King George V) - was fabulous. We are all in agreement it can't be a Royal Wedding without a tiara, no?

Having said all that, I was a little disappointed. For me, she met expectations rather than exceeded them. I thought the dress was derivative and interpretive rather than original. That specific style had been worn by not only 50,000 brides before her but arguably THE most beautiful princess of all time, Princess Grace of Monaco. Right down to the bouquet of lily of the valley and the lace edged veil. No comparison. When you compare her to princesses who have gone before her (Princess Diana, Princess Mary, The Duchess of York even), the dress was sweet and pretty rather than regal and original. Perfect for an upmarket country wedding perhaps (which is apparently the look and feel the couple were going for) but Westminster Abbey? My personal opinion is not so much.

The Original Princess in That dress.

Lace edged veil...

Lace embroidered train...

I know others will disagree with me, but I think the choice of Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen was perhaps a waste of that designer's extraordinary talent. The dress was so plain it really could have been designed by any one of a number of designers. There was definitely nothing particularly McQueen about the dress which for me was disappointing.

The other part I though was disappointing was the veil. The very fine silk tulle clung to her body, altering the shape of the silhouette. By the end of the ceremony, the weight of the silk tulle veil had flattened her hair and pulled the beautiful curl out of her tresses. That, combined with friction silk tulle has gave her hair a slightly static-y appearance by the time they got into the coach for the trip back to Buckingham Palace. The same thing happened to Sophie, Countess of Wessex on her wedding day. A net tulle veil may have been more appropriate, as would something cathedral length rather than waist length. It certainly would have been more elegant.

There had been a lot of debate about the fact she wanted to wear her hair down because it was "more her". I think with a dress like this an up-do would have been more appropriate. More polished and less flat, giving her a better silhouette overall. It would have worked better with the tiara and veil and made her look more regal. Just my opinion.

I wasn't going to mention the train fact but in for a penny, in for a pound. I did think a slightly longer train would have worked well in the space of the abbey. I was disappointed that the embroidery was so subtle that it couldn't actually be seen (which begs the question, what is the point?). When I got married, my train was 2m long, Kate's was 2.7m long. I didn't get married in the or an Abbey. Nuff said on that front.

Look at that liner...

The other teeny complaint was the fact she did her own makeup. The Duchess of Cambridge has a bit of an unhealthy relationship with eyeliner and blush it would seem. A professional would have been a better option for such a big occasion, given the TV lights and cameras. Lining under the eyes with a heavy black liner ages anyone terribly. All I can remember is how fresh and gorgeous Diana looked on her wedding day. No comparison for me.

You can just make out lace embroidery on the train if you squint and look very very hard...

For most people I am sure, the fact she looked lovely and pretty is enough for them. As it should be. But for those who were trumpeting Kate's (or the Duchess of Cambridge as she is now to be known) arrival as a cutting edge fashion plate and the embodiment of modern British fashion, it must have been a little disappointing. There wasn't anything cutting edge or original about the dress or overall look. It was very traditional and staid.

More on the best and worst of the guests later!

Kitty

Images sourced from smh.com.au, AFP, AP and news.com.au

Happy belated Easter everyone!

2011-04-25T10:04:00.000+10:00

And what better way to celebrate the passing of yet another egg day than with fabulous, moment appropriate stationery accessories?

Available at Design Life Shop for just $24.95. A bargain I say! I might just buy them, if I can keep them a secret from Mr K - he'd be likely to steal them!

Kitty

A Bug's Life...

2011-04-24T18:30:00.001+10:00

I'm not a huge fan of creepy crawlies in real life, but I really seem to like them on jewellery. I find them interesting and fascinating. People have to look a little bit harder to see that you are wearing a ladybug, a spider or a cicada as part of your bejewelled accessory collection - it makes them my own little private joke.

Here are some of my favourites:
I've blogged about Elk before - they are one of my favourite lower priced jewellery and accessory companies. The make great on trend pieces from wood and metal. This cicada necklace ($50) is a favourite - I have worn it many times. The colour pops beautifully when you wear it with all black (which is often the case with me) and the fact that it is inexpensive makes it all the more wearable.

Mimco's latest collection features this little gem - a cool and hip necklace that features black agate beads and glass pearls, with two beautifully crafted bugs adorned with Swarovski crystals. Matching earrings are available but I love the necklace ($229) just by itself.

Alex Monroe is another designer I have blogged about before - his beautiful nature designs rendered in gold and silver make for stunning jewellery. Focusing on bugs, birds and plants, his pieces are longer term investments that can be worn for a lifetime. This dragonfly necklace is stunning, capturing the bug theme perfectly while remaining chic (120 pounds, approximately $185).

And for something a little more decadent, we'll turn to Tiffany for this diamond and platinum butterfly necklace. At $5250, it's certainly out of my price range but a girl can dream can't she? If you have to have it, it's available at Tiffany in the US for $3650 (a little over $3400 AUD, plus local tax).

Do you love bugs on your jewellery?

Kitty

Easter: In other news...

2011-04-23T08:37:00.007+10:00

1. The five day Easter Break is playing havoc with my internet shopping. Not being work inclined at the moment, I don't get the benefit of five days off (which is not really a complaint, just an observation). My complaint is this - I have seen so many lovely thing I want to buy online recently, however with only 5 working days until we leave for the US, the likelihood of me receiving anything before leaving is very very slim, especially from overseas. I will have to keep my fingers crossed that items of desire, like the above Marks and Spencer dress, remain in stock until I get home.

2. Easter baking is playing havoc with my healthy eating resolve: Now the morning sickness has decided it's pretty much finished with me, I am off my solid diet of cheese flavoured things and attempting to embrace a healthier eating regime. Nigella's Norwegian Cinnamon buns that I baked last weekend and that are now gracing our freezer and the freshly baked Not Quite Nigella Mocha Cinnamon buns (minus the coffee part) are not helping me with that resolve... Luckily I haven't over indulged in the purchase of Easter eggs yet. Yet.

3. The fact that shops are very closed over the weekend near where I live means I need to be more organised than usual with what we want to eat. Unfortunately with my slightly confuddled baby brain, this means more hard work for moi. Thank goodness I have Mr K to remind me of things I need to do. Although I'm fairly certain cleaning the house wasn't on my list, despite his protestations that it definitely was...

Kitty

Springtime Green.

2011-04-18T18:25:00.001+10:00

I promise this isn't going to instantly become a blog just about babies. I still like other things, you know, but babies just seem so exciting at the moment!

As I previously mentioned, we'll be finding out what variety the baby is. Having said that, I tend to like light green as a colour no matter what sex the baby will be. It's fairly gender neutral and nice and Springtime-esque, perfect for our little Spring baby.

Here are a few of the green things I have seen that I like so far:

The Bloom Alma crib:
I love it's Granny Smith apple green colour and the fact it's nice and compact. It will be good for the corner of our bedroom as it's small and the lockable casters mean I can move it around the house, keeping the baby with me or Mr K as needed. Once we are done with it, it folds down nicely for storage. The only downside seems to be the weight - 23kg for the world's tiniest cot! This requires further investigation I think. Urban Baby is a good Australian stockist for this crib. More information is available on the Bloom website.

The Ektorp Armchair from Ikea:
So many of my friends have mentioned the need to invest in a comfortable chair for breastfeeding. This one looks both comfy and practical, with the cover being removable and washable/dry cleanable in the case of any baby related incidents. It's also reasonably well priced at $499 with additional covers available for purchase. More information available at Ikea. And bonus - you can buy a matching footstool!

The Bugaboo Cameleon in limited edition green:

Buying a pram that has a bit of character that isn't the same as anyone else's pram is difficult, particularly when you decide to buy one of the most popular prams on the market. But as luck would have it, Bugaboo have recently released two new colours: light green and deep purple. Both are fabulous but with my green fixation I am obviously gravitating towards the green. The limited edition Cameleons are available in Australia at Minimee.

Fun decals for the nursery:

There are so many great decals availble on my favourite online store Etsy. This is just one - from the aptly named Kinky Wall Studio. Given we'll be renting when the baby is born, painting the nursery green will be impractical, but a fun and bright decal will liven up the room quite nicely without being permanent. There are loads that I like but this one with it's animals and trees is lots of fun!

Did you have a theme or favourite colour when your little one was born? Or do you have a vision of what your nursery might look like when you have a baby? Or do you already have a favourite colour that you like to wear or decorate with?

Kitty

One for baby, one for me...

2011-04-17T20:25:00.003+10:00

That's how it works, right?

I've been eyeing off this bangle for aaaaages. I first saw it in Hong Kong last year and I was very tempted but I put it back on the shelf at Joyce in Harbour City/Ocean Terminal. Reluctantly.

But now it's at Net-a-Porter and I feel like a bit of a treat. I bought the baby a present so now it must be my turn, right?

Kitty

I Heart Baby Clothes.

2011-04-16T17:59:00.003+10:00

It's official - babies have the best clothes.

I held off buying anything until I had my 12 week scan. I would walk past racks of little cardigans and dresses, merino playsuits and bunny ear hats justitching to purchase something. But I wanted to make sure I was in the "safe zone" before Going Nuts.

But since then I have to say I have been quite restrained. Not knowing what I am having has put a little bit of a dampener on the buying process - we do plan to find out but not until we get back from the US. Irrespective of the variety we get (I'm happy either way, I think Mr K might be hoping for another cat as he's very good with them - they are a known quantity) buying gender neutral clothes isn't as fun as buying clothes for a little girl or boy.

Until you happen upon the marvellous creations from NiteOwlDesigns on Etsy.

The onesies are just superb - handcrafted, beautifully designed and made. I ordered three - the owl, the hedgehog and the monkey. On the advice of The Mummy, I also ordered a few of Jenny's gorgeous bibs too, just in case the baby is a dribbler!

I can't wait for them to arrive! If they are as good as I am hoping I plan to buy many more!

Kitty

Bad hair day.

2011-04-13T11:14:00.003+10:00

I used to think they were a bit of a myth. But they certainly aren't.

I have one every three months. The day I go to the hairdresser. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my hairdresser. I LOVE her so much I fly to Melbourne to have my hair cut. Indulgent much? But in my defense, I have never had anyone cut my hair as well as she does, and when you have curly hair you follow a good hairdresser to the ends of the earth. But anyway, she used to blowdry my hair really well when she worked at her Sydney salon. Now she works at a salon where they use totally organic products. Very few styling creams and potions. Very little spray. My hair lives on styling wax. It drinks the stuff. The more pomade and products the better it looks.

Now, when I leave the salon, I look slightly poodle-esque. Flufforama. And honestly, Melbourne is a long way to go for a bad blowdry. I have to leave it at least a day before I wash it again because otherwise the fluffiness continues for another wash cycle and I just cannot cope with that. I have considered telling her but I have had 18 months of blowdrys without saying anything and I can't say something now.

So today is the poodle hair day. I am huddling under the blankets today I think. Mr K wants me to go to the shops with him but there's a 1% chance I might see someone I know and that's too big a risk for me.

Perhaps if I put a bag over my head, it will be ok?

Kitty

Whoops!

2011-04-11T19:11:00.000+10:00

So the shopping "reduction" was well and truly "expanded" today. Mr Kitty had to go to the optometrist and the bank in town so I got dressed up and in we drove. I had an errand to run too, and Mr K's Easter present* to purchase so it was rather a full day for moi, all things considered.

While I was waiting for him (and lunch, I might add, all I seem to do is eat at the moment) I popped into Sportscraft at Westfield. BIG mistake. As Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman "HUGE." I was only looking, filling in time, when a lovely sales assistant came up and informed me that everything in store was 30% off today (how very un-Pretty Woman of her).

Now, I don't really need anything. Much. I'll admit, some of my favourite pieces are getting a tad snug around the waist area, but I can cope for a while. Much of what I own is jersey anyway, but when I heard the magic 30% off, I forced myself to have a bit of a look around.

I wasn't disappointed. Sportscraft is currently chock full of fabulous things. Loads of great tops, numerous gorgeous frocks, quite a few great coats and jackets... But there was one thing I couldn't take my eyes off.

Now, we all know I have an obsession/love affair with leopard. But I tend to favour furry leopard rather than leopard print. I tend to find accessories more wearable - bags, shoes et al. But when I tried this dress on, I had to have it, especially with the magical discount. It's a gorgeous fit and there's plenty of room for le bump to expand. The jersey is soft and drapes beautifully. A win all round I'd say!

The dress also comes in a beautiful purpley-fuchsia colour, but with le bump, I felt a bit like a giant grape or berry (which will only get worse) so I stuck to the tried and true option...

The afternoon was spent test driving prams. We left the showrooms even more confused than when we arrived. We did narrow it down a little - if anyone has advice on the Bugaboo Chameleon, the Quinny Buzz or the Micralite Toro, I'd very much appreciate it.

Kitty

*Mr K is not a fan of Easter eggs. Or Lindt Bunnies. I tend to end up melting them down about 6 months after the event to turn them into chocolate cake. I feel sad melting bunnies so I decided not to buy one for him this year. Instead I bought him a bag of dark chocolate scorched almonds from Haighs - His favourite and I also think quite Eastery. Outside chance he might actually eat them...

Wonderful news.

2011-04-08T19:14:00.001+10:00

In a heartbeat. A moment. A minute. A phone call. Everything changes.

What seems like it would never happen, finally happens. Your world gets turned upside down. Irrevocably changed. Forever, but definitely for the better.

In the same moment, it is terrifying, empowering, scary, challenging, mind boggling and fabulous. It's earth shattering and real. It's emotional and scary. It's overwhelming and amazing. After disappointment and heartache, it's the bright shining beacon of light we've been praying for.

But above everything else, it's wonderful. It's marvelous.

It's a baby. Our baby. Due in mid October. We are beyond thrilled.

Thank you all for your support on our long (and sometime arduous) journey. I have appreciated all the supportive comments and emails more than you can imagine. I have wanted to share this with you for the longest time but wanted to wait until the time was right.

Any advice will be gratefully received. You may not have guessed but we are complete novices at this baby raising thing and all the books in the world mean nothing compared to real life experiences, as far as I see it.

And yes - the reason for the lack of posting over the last few weeks was due to morning, or as I like to call it, all day sickness. Horrible stuff. I'm pleased to report it has almost totally abated. Finally.

And now, we settle in for the exciting 6 month wait until our little one decides to join us!

Kitty xx

Image from http://weheartit.com/