Happy Easter

Easter, Australian style: a chocolate bilby and a little Australian baby!

New Aussie Baby

I'm proud to introduce one of the newest little Australians. I suppose this is what happens when you cross an American and a Briton? I turns out it is easy to refer to myself as a Mum. What's proving to be harder is saying nappy instead of diaper!

It might go without saying, but new blogs posts will be a little slower and less frequent as we get acquainted with our new little boy.

Mum vs. Mom

This week I have been playing the waiting came, waiting for an overdue Australian to arrive. Trying to be patient, but when you're overdue and you've already caught up on all the movies you've been wanting to watch, and baked cookies, and kept the house clean, that is hard. Not to mention realizing that this baby will be a different nationality from both Mom and Dad. Or is that Mum and Dad?

from InStyle

One of my pet peeves about various magazines and tabloids is that whenever an American is interviewed in an Australian or British magazine, the author or editor feels that they must translate any "mom" to "mum". As if the reader would be confused! Take for example this interview with Jessica Alba in InStyle Australia, where she is quoted as saying,

"It's overwhelming. I don't consider myself a lot of the time. I think a lot of mums do that, try to be everything to everyone all the time. I make mistakes. I do try to do way too much."

I guarantee you she never actually said the word "mum". I wonder how many times I've read magazines published in the US that did the opposite, taking every mum that Kate Winslet or Nicole Kidman said and turning it into a mom?

I've come to realize, that despite my preferences, I will probably be a mum. I could insist that my child calls me mom, but that would require so much effort to work against the dominate culture...and what's wrong with mum anyway? Nothing, but just a daily reminder that I am living in a different country than what I was born in. I'm sure as I encounter all the many milestones of bringing up a child, there will be more interesting and dramatic cultural differences to contend with. Best to pick any battles wisely, and this probably won't be one of them.

Next, I'm off to dispose of some nasty Johnson's products given to me by a well meaning but uninformed friend (formaldehyde anyone?) And hoping that this baby doesn't wait much longer to make an appearance.

Rain and gardens

The weather continues to be wet wet wet here in Brisbane. Despite how long it takes my clothes to dry, I try to keep my complaining to the minimum because the wet weather brings cooler temperatures...something that I won't take for granted with the hot summer just past and continuing pregnancy-related hot flashes. If this is any indication, I am not looking forward to menopause, and will need to make sure I'm living in an arctic climate in about 25 years time. 

The best part of the rain, besides the slightly more tolerable temperatures, is how much our garden is loving it all. When we first moved into our current house it was a long, dry winter and all the plants pretty much slowly died over several months. So much so that I wondered if they would ever recover. I'm happy to report, evidenced by the photos before, that recovery is taking place!

I can't wait till this poinsettia tree starts showing some color this winter!

I am especially proud of the paw paw tree below, he is now looking very healthy and is taller than me! Amazingly, just over a year ago, it was doubtful he would recover from very hungry possums at our old house. See the dramatic "before" picture here.

Brisbane welcomes Seattle music

My favorite Seattle musician came to my current Australian home last night and it couldn't have been a better combination! Apart from the venue, where everyone, including the locals, commented on the heat...I naively wore jeans which was not the best choice in a crowded, overheated club. 

I'm very proud that a Seattle artist, and totally independent one at that, is getting such success worldwide!

Showing support for my hometown in a customized maternity concert tee!

rag rug: in progress

This is a post I started months ago, and I've been dutifully waiting until I've finished the project before putting this up on the blog. 

But, other projects have taken priority, and I'm afraid this rag rug will take a while longer. So for now, here are a few "in progress" pictures. I've used the tutorial from this website. I will add it's a great way to use up extra fabric...I happen to have a lot of the blue and brown (the blue is horrible horrible poly that was last seen here). If it ever gets finished, I think it would be perfect in a certain little boy's nursery. 

Maternity Style in the Sub-Tropics

After several years of living in Brisbane, I have always struggled adapting my personal style to the local aesthetic. I tend to prefer conservative, dark, tailored, and/or retro-inspired clothing...while the majority of ladies in Brisbane like loose, unstructured trapeze dresses in bright colors or whites that look like they came from a day at the beach. I've never fully embraced the more loose and casual styles...until now. Having the hottest summer since I moved here coincide with my third trimester of pregnancy made me thrilled to climb into loose and baggy dresses.

typical QLD trapeze dress covered in embroidery...comfy but not exactly "me"

However, the old part of me still missed the way I used to dress. The maternity section of ASOS helped quite a bit, but I was also able to make a very useful black maternity skirt, pictured below. It has been a long time since I sewed anything for myself (why bother when I won't fit into it after a few months?) but I'm glad I put in the effort...I've already worn this skirt a dozen times.

barefoot and pregnant at nearly 36 weeks

I used some lovely stretch bamboo rayon in my fabric stash and cut the pattern from a pair of yoga pants. The soft and comfy fold-over waistband of yoga pants is perfect to cover a pregnant belly, as it can be worn low and folded over, or folded up high for extra support. 

close up of the waist and side seam 

It was very simple to make...I simply used my yoga pants as a pattern and traced the waistband measurement onto my fabric. Then I cut a slightly flared skirt to right below the knee (it was a bit long, but it's always easier to shorten it later). Stitch up the side seams of the waistband and skirt. Then I folded the waistband in half and attached it to the skirt waist. Finished off with a rolled hem.

the waistband folded over gets a bit of a ruched look

I did all of this with an overlocker and it was super quick. I did actually bother to put woolly nylon thread into the loopers, and it made such a different in the seam finishes. I'm sure it would still come together nicely with regular thread, but I was reminded why woolly nylon is the preferred thread for knits!