Chocolate Dipped Nougat

This is the most simple sweet treat to serve at Christmas, after dinner or just when you need to whip up something quick ahead of time so you can stress less, sit back and celebrate. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare, plus time for chilling.

Store bought nougat
Dark Chocolate, melted
Freeze dried raspberry powder*

Cut the nougat into 2cm pieces, dip into chocolate half way and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with freeze dried raspberry powder and refrigerate until set.

*Most good delis/speciality stores sell freeze dried raspberries. If you're in Melbourne, Essential Ingredient stocks it.

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Dressing a Bump

During pregnancy I haven't wanted to waste money on bump-friendly maternity clothes that would only last a couple of weeks (I've preferred to waste money on impractical baby clothes and accessories that will be covered in poop and vomit in no time!). I have however bought a few key pieces that have really got me through.

Topshop Maternity Jeans: Topshop Maternity Jeans are fabulous. I grabbed two pairs - Jamie and Leigh styles - both over the bump and super comfortable. I found my normal size was fine as they have lots of stretch. They looked just like my old jeans that no one know I was even in maternity jeans and some of my friends thought they looked so good that they were even eyeing them up! It will be very hard to go back to normal jeans.

Midi Tube Skirts: Whilst I would never have dreamed to wear a tight tube skirt pre-pregnancy, I have found them perfect for pregnancy as they hit my leg at the thinnest part and hugged in the expanding belly and bum.

Cos Shirts: Cos has become my new best friend. I've found their pieces, even in my pre-pregnancy size, not only flattered a growing bump but I'll be able to wear them once (if) my waistline reappears.

Fancy Flats: Gone are the days of wearing high heels (I still sneak a few in sometimes) and in came the flats. I found a few statement flats really elevated my wardrobe. I have worn my Valentino rock studs to death (and while pricy my cost per wear is right down) but I also wore a lot of ASOS flats that were $28 or less.

Maternity Tees: I have lived in maternity teas that I've simply warn with jeans/trousers (and a fancy pair of flats) or knotted above my bump with a tube skirt. I didn't spend a fortune - ASOS had 3 packs for $30 and they've seen me through 9 months.

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Nursery

With the baby less than five weeks away, we're frantically pulling the nursery together.  All the furniture, with the exception of the bright pink armchair, which we've moved from our living room, is white as I'm a big fan of using accent colours to bring a room together. Knowing it's a girl we've got lots of girly pink items but we've also gone with some aqua and blues to tone it down a little and the result is fresh and feminine without being to in your face pink. Once we're done I'll share some photos.

1 Incy Interiors Georgia Cot | 2 Monique Lhuillier Rug from Pottery Barn Kids | 3 Marcelle Wide Dresser which will hopefully see her into her teen years | 4 Numero 74 Canopy from Leo & Bella | 5 Ollie Ella Lidded Basket | 6 Ilka Flamingo Mobile is made to order and just divine | 7 Various Cushions to add a pop of colour | 8 Pink Velvet Chair (old) | 9 Super Rural For Like Ever Print which I've had for years but it fits perfectly in her room | 10 IKEA MOSSLANDA Picture Ledge  saw these on Pinterest used as book shelves which is ideal as they don't take up any floor space

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Catching Up

I started this blog a few years back as a creative outlet and to share the things I like - recipes, fashion, home inspiration, DIY, mood boards and anything else that took my fancy. I stopped blogging a few years back when I lost my father as I just didn't have the time, nor the inspriation, however a lot has happened in the last couple of years and I feel like I'm ready to pick it up again...in some capacity.

To catch you up, 2015 was a momentous year from me - I got engaged, bought a house, got married and had a sensational honeymoon in Italy and France, all in the space of 8 months. The wedding was definitely THE highlight and we had the most amazing photographers, Erin & Tara who captured all the magical moments and (I think) made us look like absolute superstars. Below are few photos of their photos from our special day.

2016 saw us settle into married life and we started trying for a baby. In February 2016, after only a few short months of trying, we fell pregnant and we were absolutely overjoyed. Sadly, a few weeks later I miscarried which left us devastated but eager to try again - we knew miscarriage was extremely common (20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage with 80% of them usually in the first few weeks) and  we believed it would happen again pretty swiftly. A year later we were still having no luck so sought the advice of a fertility specialist - I wasn't getting any younger, at 37, so they suggested we try IVF. Lots of friends and family had had success with IVF and other fertility treatments so we signed up immediately and commenced all the pre-treatment testing. In March 2017, I started my first cycle and by April we got a positive.  Initially, we were pretty apprenshive and found it difficult to get too excited, miscarriage still played on our minds and we honestly felt getting pregnant on the first cycle was just too good to be true (we weren't that lucky) but as the weeks went by, seeing and hearing the heartbeat and the growth from appointment to appointment we relaxed and started to enjoy the pregnancy and the excitement of starting a family. Now our little girl (who we affectionately call Colin right now) is due the first week of January 2018. 

So that's the last couple of years in a nutshell and here I am, 35 weeks pregnant and back to sharing my life. Posts may be random and pictures may not be very slick but I'll still try to get a few hair tutorials up as these proved very popular, particularly on Pinterest, and there will definitely be lots of 'mummy' posts (I'm obsessed with baby anything and everything), food and fashion related bits and pieces. Watch this space...

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