Nearly two months down the road...

Wow. Has it really been almost two months since I last posted??? That's crazy! Do you want to know the really sad thing about it? Of the list compiled in my previous post, I have only managed to finish three things:
Laoise's box of goodies is now safely living in her new home in Dublin
More photos have been taken of Finn, although not of the whole family
I have finished and mailed the swaps for the Holidayornament2006 swap (see photo for final design)
But I'm not a slacker, I promise! I've just been busy with other things! Like what, you might ask? (And rightly so) Well, let's see. Although I'm not up to date with my coursework, I have managed to complete and post my assignment in time for the cutoff date. I'm hoping I'll get a good result, but in all honesty I didn't go through a large section of the relevant texts, so fingers crossed for the best. It's on a subject I'm quite interested in general and have read up on in the past, so it's not like I'm completely winging it. Well, not really...
Also, I've been in to work a couple of days recently. It's so hard to believe that I'll be back at work full time in just over a month! The new job seems fantastic, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. It's just that the thought of leaving Finn with anyone else, no matter how amazing they are, for 50 hours a week, breaks my heart. And we've been lucky. I've become friends with the woman who will be Finn's childminder. She's great and I can see us becoming really, really good friends. She's really fantastic with Finn and her youngest daughter is only 10 days older than Finn. But she's not me. That's the long and short of it really.

Things to do this week

Let me start by making a confession: I love lists. I adore them. It makes me so happy to pick up a pen, open my notebook to an empty page, and compile a list. Then, when I've finished it, I'll re-write it (it needs to be a pretty list, you see). Depending on the mood I'm in, I may even write it out a third time. Then I'll close the notebook, put it down somewhat absentmindedly and set about doing something completely unrelated to anything on the list. For me, the fun is in making the list. I know myself well enough to know that I'll only do the things I feel like doing at any given time. (I could launch into a similar story regarding study rotas/schedules, a habit shared by the other sister Loedolffski, but I'll spare you that for the time being. I think you get the picture)

So why on earth is it that I'm about to compile yet another list, especially one without the satisfaction of being able to decorate it and use my favourite pen of the moment? Simple, really. I'm hoping that by putting my list on here, where anyone can see it, I will actually be motivated to tackle it from top to bottom. There's also the fact that I'm unlikely to misplace this, thereby losing the list. And it's fun to share! Here goes: my list of things to do this week, in no particular order.
1. Get up to date with my coursework
2. Make apple and plum crumble
3. Finish F's stuffie
4. Bake a christmas fruit cake for C
5. Start on our quilt
6. Design earings and christmas ornaments for upcoming swaps
7. Finish Laoise's parcel and post it to Dublin
8. Take more photos of F and us as a family
9. Post photos to family in South Africa and New Zealand
10. Make a pattern for a hippo stuffie

It's oh so quiet...

It's only 9pm but C and F are both sound asleep. Really, if I had any sense I'd join them! There's something about being awake while the rest of the house sleeps that makes me very happy. It gives me time to think and just relax. No pressure to be *doing* something.
Today was a rather relaxed day. I didn't get around to working on any of my projects, or doing my coursework. Nor did we go to the park. We did, however, make a trip to Ikea. On a Saturday. The weekend half-term starts. Madness! And the really silly thing? We didn't actually buy much. There was nothing we needed! It's funny how we both moan about Ikea. And yet we still find ourselves pulling into the parking lot every now and again, not having planned it, not needing anything in particular. Somethings just have no rational explanation.

It's the weekend!

Is it odd that I really look forward to the weekend? I know being a mum is a job, just like any other, but what I mean is that seeing as I work from home, shouldn't all the days be equal? Anyway, it's Friday and that makes me very happy. It means that tomorrow I get to spend time with both my favourite guys. Hopefully the weather will be good and we'll go for a walk through the park down the road. It's so beautiful at the moment, peaceful but vibrant. I can't believe that the grass is still so green, after the beautifully hot summer we've had.

A new project

Today is my first post on my brand new blog. It's amazing how suddenly I can't think of a single thing to say! Isn't that always the way though?
Perhaps I should start by telling you a bit more about myself and why I've decided to start this new blog. My name is Gabbi. I have been living in the UK, London specifically, for five and a half years now. I first moved here in 2001, having realised that I was about to start a degree I really had no interest in. My stay in London was meant to be temporary, a stepping stone to discovering the treasure of Europe before returning to South Africa. Hmmm...how things have changed! Instead I met a wonderful man, got married on the spur of the moment, found a job I loved, made some amazing friends and settled into the London lifestyle.
Now, things have changed again. I am the proud mother of an eight week old boy and currently at home on maternity leave. And although I am sleep deprived and hormonal, I don't think I have ever been happier! I have so many ideas and designs racing through my head and dozens of unfinished projects litter our house.
I have this crazy notion that sharing my WIPs will motivate me to finish them. So this blog is intended to serve as a diary of my new adventures. I hope you'll join me as I rediscover my creative side, learn to be a mummy and generally live my life. Here we go...