Our little bundle of joy arrived....

Hi All

Apologies for the absence but I'm sure you will understand why when I tell you our news....it's a girl! On 8th January our gorgeous little girl, Chloe Elizabeth, was born at 11:20pm, weighing 7lb 3oz. It has been a bit of a whirlwind....in fact she is two weeks old today...not sure where that time has gone! Here is a little piccie for you that really shows her character:

Here is how it all happened! Nothing too gory I don't think but thought I best warn you!
It all began on Monday evening (6th)....I hadn't felt little one squirming much so ended up at the hospital to be monitored. All was fine, but I was having cramps and they told me I was contracting! They booked us in for a scan the next day just to make sure all was well. On Tuesday everything came back fine at the scan but we had to be monitored again just to make sure. Contractions had stopped, cramps continued but all was well. We were booked in for an induction on the Friday but the midwife hoped we wouldn't get to that point! Went home to have a nice bath only to lie on the bed in pain before my waters suddenly went at 10pm! Off we went to the hospital once again, they told us to go in straight away as we hadn't had much movement over the past few days only be told to go home again as nothing was happening just yet! Induction was brought forward to Thursday though! By 3am the contractions were coming thick and fast so we were told to go back in....by this point my Mum had been told and she was making the journey down from Sunderland! By the time she arrived, we were being sent home once again as nothing was happening...even though the contractions were extremely painful and were very close together. As I got home, hubby tried to get a bit of sleep but I was in agony, particularly in my back as baby was back to my back. By 10:30 we were on the way once again to the hospital, I really couldn't cope going back home but luckily they said I was 4cm gone! Finally! So I was admitted. After a very long afternoon of gas and air, an epidural was scheduled as I couldn't take the pain anymore and was getting a bit spaced out! I began to feel myself again....asking for biccies and a cup of tea lol! Loads of people had said that I would have baby on the 8th January (even though due date was 11th) so it was a little surreal! However, the doctor said he wouldn't start me pushing until about midnight (I was 9cm by 9:30pm) so we thought little one was going to be born on the 9th. But at 10:30pm I was ready and her heart beat was dropping slightly and so her entry to the world began!! I had to have a forceps delivery but it happened so quickly once they decided to get her out. I could not believe that it was a girl, I was convinced I was having a boy! She was also a pound lighter than thought as they'd been concerned that she was a big baby but she was a gorgeous 7lb 3oz. Skin to skin when she first arrived was amazing, she didn't cry and her eyes were wide open....I couldn't believe how alert she was and how blessed we are to have a beautiful daughter. After some skin to skin with daddy too, we were transferred back downstairs to our own room to spend our first night....she slept, I didn't lol! We were home the next day and were greeted by beautiful flowers and close family who couldn't stay away. I have been overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity of family and friends, and of course my hormones have meant they've all had me in tears every few minutes...happy tears of course!

So the past two weeks have been spent recovering, which has taken me a lot longer than I thought it would. We've got ourselves into a little routine now I think and are trying to adjust to being parents...my Mum left us yesterday :( She has been a great help and I was so sad to see her go, wish she lived closer but we will see her in a few weeks as my older brother is getting married! Hubby goes back to work next week so from Monday I'm flying solo! Hopefully all will be well but think I will need to build up to going out on my own with her...how much stuff do you need to take...tis crazy! I'm loving being a Mum, it is very tiring and I worry about everything but love her so much, it is totally worth it! So apologies for being absent, I hope to get back to blogging regularly now....when she goes to sleep I will blog! Lol!

Thanks for looking.
Hugs
Arline
xx

Book Review #1 (2014) - 'Calling Mrs Christmas' by Carole Matthews

Hi All

A little something different for you today. I have written book reviews before on my old blog but this is my first on my Cozy Corner! This is for a nice festive Chick Lit book that I have recently finished reading...hope you enjoy it!

Calling Mrs Christmas by Carole Matthews

August 2013

****

Being a fan of Christmas and easy Chick Lit reads, this sounded like the perfect book to see in the festive season and it didn't disappoint. It was a real page turner that made me laugh, cry and shout out loud at the protagonist, Cassie.

In a nutshell, Cassie, out of work for a number of months, girlfriend to Jim, a prison officer in a young offenders institute, loves Christmas. To get herself out of the rut she finds herself in, she decides to go for it and start her own business, 'Calling Mrs Christmas,' in the quest to help plan and prepare for everyone's Christmas. Sounds like a dream job and it really is until she meets Carter, a handsome millionaire who is about to turn her life upside down.

If you like all of the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas, are not immune to a bit of romance and like the thought of a happy ending, you will love this. Matthews takes you on Cassie's and Jim's relationship journey but also gives you an insight into their individual lives. I enjoyed reading about Jim's daily work at the young offender's unit just as much as I did Cassie's work preparing for Christmas parties, decorating people's houses and planning trips of a lifetime to Lapland! As a reader, you are able to experience Cassie's excitement and nervousness starting a new business, Jim's emotional attachment to his work, Carter's loneliness due to his demanding work and still are able to keep up with what is going on and escape into the magical time of Christmas. Not many books make me cry, and it could be down to my current hormonal state(!), but it is more likely to do with the many moving moments that Matthew creates in her novel. From the trials and tribulations of Jim and Cassie, to the two young offenders Smudge and Rozzer who you become as fond of as Jim does, to a man trying to reconnect and find time for his children, if you are not already in tears you will be close! It is done in an easy read, quite 'happy endingish' way but I like that in my Chick Lit....that's why we read them isn't it? To escape into a different world where most of the time, everything turns out alright in the end. From tears you move onto becoming an 'insane woman' shouting at your kindle/book telling Cassie what to do but also shouting advice to the male characters too. I was constantly coming out with 'tell her' or 'what a ridiculous idea Cassie'....I loved how involved I got with the characters.

I would recommend 'Calling Mrs Christmas' if you like the Chick Lit genre, are a fan of Christmastime and enjoy a quick read. I really couldn't put this down, from about half way through I was constantly guessing what the ending might be and although the clues were there, I was never quite sure what would actually happen. A great read and I will definitely read another Carole Matthews again.

Hope you enjoyed my review and if you like this genre of book definitely have a read....even though it is not Christmas now, it will remind you of the festive period or prepare you for the next one!

Thanks for looking.

Hugs 

Arline

xx

** All opinions expressed in this review are my own, I have not received any compensation for my review and do not wish to offend in any way.

2014 Declutter 52 things in 52 weeks challenge

Hi All

I am back today with my first organisational post! I always have 'to get the house more organised' as one of my New Year's Resolutions and this year I am determined to sort out a system where I will keep this up all year round! I often have a good sort out and clean up but it never stays like that and so I really want to work on this during 2014. Hence why I have been on the hunt for some motivation and inspiration from various Organisation Blogs! 

The '2014 Declutter 52 things in 52 weeks challenge' comes from 'The Organised Housewife' and her fabulous blog. Katrina, who is the owner of the blog, has asked to start off by setting some goals to help her help us, but also to remind us of what our focus should be over the year! Here is my response to her request from her blog post-click on the image above if you wish to take a look at the original post!

-I want to feel relaxed, organised and comfortable while I’m at home.

-I want to spend more time with my husband and soon to be born baby!

-I want an area of the home where I can work without it taking over my house (when I return next year after maternity leave)
-I want to organise the wardrobe first.
-I always lose important documents.
-I want to be organised by 1st November 2014.
-The most disorganised cupboard in my home is my under the stairs junk cupboard.
-Something that I don’t need anymore , but am having trouble parting with are keepsakes from childhood/old uni work.

The first task is to declutter your noticeboard etc.-well we don't actually have one but I have made sure our calendars are up ready to use properly this year. We always have this pinned up in the kitchen-my Mum has always had her noticeboard/calendar in the kitchen which is the reason for the choice of location! So there is no clutter, just simply our calendars to try and keep us organised!

A new task will be updated each week and I will try to blog my progress throughout the year. However, I really recommend you going and taking up the challenge or at the very least, checking out the blog which has loads of great hints and tips! I'm also trying to keep up with daily tasks that Katrina posts on Facebook-so far I have sorted out my planner (post still to come on this) and written out all of my birthday cards for January and February! Thanks for the inspiration!

Hope you will check it out and that your resolutions are still going well! 

Thanks for looking!

Hugs

Arline

xx

Midwife visit-38 weeks!

Hi All

Just a quick post today. A pretty uneventful day today! Started off with a trip to the midwife. All was well, baby still a little big (just above the line they plot) but have been for a growth scan and no issues-midwife wasn't concerned! Just got a buster on board I think! Heartbeat was good, my blood pressure was ok (as has been a little low) and she has made an appointment for me in two weeks time...after my due date! Really hoping that I won't need to keep that appointment and that little one has made an arrival by then. Think they have nestled down for a little while yet though....despite us trying to convince him/her to come a touch early ;)

Got back home and did a bit of housework and sorted out some of our home filing. I always find this so boring and it is definitely an aim to get on top of this and then there won't be as much to sort through! One of the main reasons I need to do this is because we got rid of our filing cabinet that was in the nursery. The filing cabinet was full and was also surrounded by mounds of bags with stuff in! So....I'm downsizing lol! With so much being online now it should be a little easier to keep down! A lot of the filing cabinet was also full of keepsakes rather than being documents we needed to keep. The plan is to use some of the expanding files to keep everything in and hopefully make me keep on top of it all as they don't hold so much! Will keep you updated...it is my little project before baby arrives so we will see how much time I have to complete it ;)

Having a bit of a lazy day tomorrow....I have bought a downloadable daily planner from Etsy so I might sort that out tomorrow and share that with you. Hope you have had a good day if you have returned to work today or are still enjoying the holidays if you are lucky enough to still be off! Normality is beginning to reside now, hubby was back at work today...really missed him! Christmas decorations are coming down on Saturday....then it really does become normality! Let the cleaning commence!

Thanks for looking!
Hugs
Arline
xx

Happy New Year!

Hi All

Happy New Year everyone...2014...crazy! I can remember the Millennium so well! How time flies. Well, it is sure to be an exciting year for us with little one on the way. Family and friends are beginning to take bets as to when baby will arrive! Hubby was hoping I may go into labour today as he is back to work tomorrow and really doesn't want to go in lol! Think baby is too comfy at the mo though!

Anyway, as promised, I am posting about my resolutions today. Even if noone ever reads this post, I find it really useful to put my ideas out there and they definitely seem more real when they are written down....feel free to remind me of any at any point during the year!

I always make far too many resolutions and I'm sure this year will be no different but hopefully I will try my best to keep to them! Here we go:

1. Save and budget money more-this is something that I got a lot better at in 2013! I managed to save quite a lot but then had to use money to buy everything we needed for baby! However, this is going to be even more important this year as we will need to manage on maternity pay and hubby's wages-I have invested in a daily planner to help me plot this out (I will do a post on this at some point too) and to help me forward plan things like birthday pressies etc.
2. Lose baby weight-I'm not going to get too hung up on this just yet! I don't feel like I've put on a lot of extra weight (although people may tell me differently!!) but I always have lose weight on my list anyway! I intend to get back to the gym and try to eat more healthily but I'm not going to get hung up on a set goal or anything, will just see how it goes!
3. Blog more and about a variety of things-I used to really love blogging and blog hopping but work seemed to take over in the past few years. Although I know I won't have loads of time with a newborn baby, I'm hoping that I can use any down time to blog and to visit other people's blogs this year. If I can get myself into a routine then I may be able to continue it when I get back to work! I'd also like to have a blog with various content on it. This blog I would like to have crafty projects, general everyday stuff, life as a first time Mum posts, organisational posts, Project Life postings, weight loss/fitness posts, book reviews etc etc. I will try to keep my scrapping blog still going and might post specific projects on there but would like this blog to be a bit of an all rounder...we'll see...
4. De-clutter and organise house-again, another one that is always on my list! We have done quite well this year as we had to really de-clutter the nursery and various other places to accommodate our little one. This year, I'd like to work on small spaces at a time and perhaps complete some of the challenges that you can find on some of the organisational blogs that I have listed. I'm already working on one tip which is to get the month ahead's birthdays/events all sorted-i.e. cards written/gifts bought etc. Thanks for the tip Organised Housewife!
5. Take more photographs and begin to film (especially whilst baby is young!)-I am hoping that I will be constantly doing this anyway with a newborn lol, as I know I will want to document every moment! It would be nice to learn some tips for good filming and for taking photographs but if I can just do more of it this year I will be happy.
6. Complete Project Life album for 2014-this is my first year having a go at this and again it really is to document the first year of our baby's life! I have ordered the Honey Core Kit as it looked nice and bright and seemed quite generic. I'm sure I'll add to this throughout the year but I'm looking forward to building up an album in quite a quick way so I will try and share each week. I have only just ordered my bits and bobs so it may take a little while for regular posts to come but hopefully I will get on top of it as soon as it arrives!
7. Read at least one book for pleasure each month-last year I had a challenge to read 30 books before I was 30. I think I achieved this (although they weren't necessarily the books I had on my list!) and I really enjoyed just spending a bit of time escaping into a good chick lit or a brilliant classic for an hour or so. So I thought I'd set a challenge of one per month and see how I get on. I really do love the classics but my faves are easy reads such as Kinsella and Colgan. Will try and do some book reviews etc throughout the year if they would be of interest!
8. Spend two hours crafting a week-I really want to try and spend a couple of hours crafting a week, which would work well with my Project Life album this year. I'd also like to use up more of my stash than actually buying it which may need to be a priority in my budget planning!! I think it is good to have some time for yourself sometimes and I'd like me and hubby to be able to do that, even when baby arrives. Easier said than done I know! We will see how it goes!

Eight resolutions, my favourite number and it seems to be a nice lot to begin working on! Quite a variety and lots to do which I'm looking forward to! I will try and keep track throughout the year and keep you updated, maybe a regular monthly post. I also might add a few more if I'm doing well at one of them ;) 

I'd love to read your resolutions! Leave me your ideas below!

Thanks for looking and here's to 2014!

Hugs

Arline

xx