Inspired by words

A few years ago I felt inspired to make wooden hanging signs for the home with various uplifting quotes on them. One that particularly touched me was this one...

I ended up making one for my dad for Father's Day and one for my inlaws too. It really made me think of the importance of parenthood at the time and how grateful and lucky I was to be brought up in such a stable home.

Now, as a mother, I take great comfort from these words and I know my husband does his utmost to live them day by day. From my own experience and that of growing up in a busy household, I really believe that children thrive off stability in the relationships around them and most especially between their parents. 

I know nobody is perfect and the last thing I want to do is paint a 'picture perfect' life on this blog, one that doesn't exist for anyone, my friends! Mistakes are made and reconciliation is a big and crucial part of my day to day life. I just felt compelled to share this, to whoever is reading my blog now. Perhaps as a parent? A newlywed? An expectant mother or father? Or just a curious new reader whose attention I managed to catch!- (Welcome!) We can teach our children so much more than we are aware of at the time, by simply loving each other authentically. 

I can speak for myself and for my son when his sweet little face always lights up seeing his daddy hug me, or hold my hand. Noah is always compelled to want to join in any hugs or cuddles that are in his line of vision. It's a lovely reminder of our marital vows too and our mission as parents.

What a gift!

xXx

Reflecting at the end of the month

Being home for a few days now has given us the chance to unwind a bit and reflect on the summer we have had. From seeing family, to exploring new pastimes and spending time with each other, we have had a wonderful August, jam packed with excitement and memories! I feel very blessed to be heading into autumn, now on the spiral towards Christmas (which always comes around so fast!), surrounded by the love of my husband and son. 

I really have this sense of transition in our family at the moment...hence the bicycle! Haha! I feel that we are moving forwards and progressing onto a new venture, as our family expands and the year gradually winds down to winter. I know I still have plenty to achieve before new year, but I'm just taking a moment to be thankful for everything this year has brought already and mostly, for my rock of a husband and beautiful son. 

Love Bunty

xXx

Pink in the afternoon

Yesterday, I had a little shuffle of my makeup collection. I just wanted to create a bit more order to be honest. I keep finding that when I store makeup out of sight, I forget it exists and end up not using it, which is a shame because I hate letting things go to waste! I've decided I'm going to purchase some of the muji acrylic storage boxes to hold my makeup. Because they are transparent, you can see exactly what you have and therefore, make better use of different products. (Post on that to follow!)

For now, I have decided to pop my lipsticks in a glass box that was just sitting on my chest of drawers, waiting for a purpose! My lipstick collections isn't huge, but I do love all the colours (which are mainly pink!) and I've always thought it's nice to choose a lipstick as 'finishing touch' to getting ready in the morning. 

I have discovered a new favourite which is Revlon's Creme Pink in the Afternoon. This is such a pretty pink and, although, arguably I don't need any more lippies, I picked this one up the other day after it caught my eye in Boots. It is just a touch darker than I normally wear, but still summery and fresh, and while I am still clinging on to the end of summer, I think I will enjoy wearing this!

I hope you're all enjoying this last weekend of August!

Love Bunty

xXx

Honeymoon revisited

This evening, whilst searching high and low for a memory card for my camera, I came across one eventually, tucked away in storage and took it to the computer to see how full it was. Little did I know it would hold loads of our honeymoon photos that I had completely forgotten about! 

Looking through these photos has brought back some of the best memories I have! We had an absolute blast in Italy and I will always remember those special early days as newlyweds. 

I decided to share a few, cheese an' all with you guys. These are really special to me and will always be a reminder of how wonderful it is to be young. I hope we can still look through these albums when we are old and grey and remember the glory days of our early twenties!

...Speaking of early... I CANNOT believe how young we both look! It's only been two years and I swear i've aged about five! I'll put that down to parenthood! Haha!

On our final evening in Venice, just before we headed home, we took a romantic Gondola boat ride around the city. I'm telling you now, it's the way to travel! It was really fun to sit back and look at all the beautiful buildings and views of people bustling about in the evening sunshine... Take me back!

I hope you enjoyed a little sneak peak into part of our honeymoon. Venice is just stunning, if you ever fancy visiting a new city with so much beauty to explore, do as the Venetians do and hop aboard a Gondala boat, you will not be disappointed!

Love Bunty

xXx

Best foot forward

One thing I loved about pregnancy last time around was that even though my body shape was changing and getting larger for the most part, my feet stayed the same which, though a small mercy, allowed me to continue wearing my favourite shoes and boots pretty much throughout! 

It sounds silly, but I found it quite challenging coming to terms with maintaining a positive body image, especially after birth. However, knowing that I could wear whatever I pleased on my feet and not having to think twice about it made a nice relief from constantly thinking about what clothes might/ might not work.

As we are heading into autumn, I've been looking at some boots online and seeing what takes my fancy! I think this year I might treat myself to some nice leather boots. It's always tempting to cheap out in New Look or Primark, and much as I love a bargain, I would rather have a quality shoe which I know will last the test of time! 

So, to round off today's hunt, I have brought together a few which caught my eye earlier today...

From Office

Office boots from top left: knee boot, £110, Ted Baker welly, £100, beige Chelsea boot, £85, burgundy Chelsea boot, £78, Tan boot, £60

From Asos and Hunter

From Asos and Hunter, black heeled boot, £75, tan Chelsea boot, £50, Studded Hunter boots, not available, cut out black ankle boot, £90, Blue cutout ankle boot, £42

These Hunter wellies are just gorgeous. I saw a photo of Millie Mackintosh rocking them at The Wireless Music Festival a couple of years ago and really loved them! Sadly, I don't think they are in production anymore, I struggled to find them online anyway. If I find them again though...my goodness I will snap them up!

Anyway, enough of my guilty pleasure shoe indulging! 

Happy weekend everyone,

Love Bunty

xXx

Sniffly noses and a colouring in day

This morning Noah and I came down with full on British Winter colds which was no fun at all! I slightly suspected something was up with Noah last night as he went to bed a bit unhappy and sniffly, but neither of us were prepared for this morning! We've both felt really under the weather today and so we have had a bit of a chill out, just mooching around the house and doing a few bits and pieces together. 

This afternoon I thought it would be fun to get my 'artsy box' out and get Noah playing with the crayons etc. We sat together at the kitchen table and he 'coloured in' daddy's diary for him whilst I had a go at making some simple occasion cards.

It was really nice to do something like this together and I think it distracted him from feeling poorly. 

These crayons are ones I bought about four years ago on one of the Morton summer holidays. I picked them up from a little shop in Padstow thinking they were so cute! As you can see, they are made of natural wood and have been cleverly made into crayons, outer layer intact! Little did I know at the time they would become my baby's first colouring crayons!

Sorry about the dark photos, I took these ones this evening and it was getting dark already at 7pm! 

Have a lovely evening everyone!

Love Bunty

xXx

Styling the bump

Since arriving home, Eddy and I have both commented on how the weather has seemed to completely turn on us. There is a definite feel of autumn to the cool breezes and cloudy skies. Personally I love this time of year when you start layering up a little more and the thought of hot chocolate by a warm open fire seems more and more appealing. I love seeing the colours of trees turning golden and red and I love being able to snuggle up under my duvet, watching the ships go by beyond the harbour. 

Cosy is a word that definitely summarises my wardrobe choices at this time of year. I love digging through my old clothes from last winter and seeing what outfits I can put together using them! 

Being heavily pregnant during the winter is going to be a whole new experience for me this year. Last time I was pregnant through the spring and into summer and so it was really easy to throw on light dresses with sandals and not think too much about it. I think my need for comfort, coupled with a need for warmth this time around is going to have a different impact on my dress style during this pregnancy. 

With maternity clothes on my mind a lot at the moment, I have been looking at a couple of my favourite shops and seeing what they have to offer. I went to Topshop's maternity department first and there were some pieces that really stuck out to me. I love the darker autumnal colours that come out in the shops at this time of year, particularly the burgundy's, navy's and mustard hues. I think i'll end up layering dresses with dark tights and cosy jumpers over the top. Heeled ankle boots always look really nice with this look! I love my skinny jeans but you do reach a point in pregnancy where tight jeans are such a bother to wear, so I will probably lean heavily on the dresses and tights option! 

Above, all from Topshop's maternity dept: Ladder stitch dress, £55, Leggings, £15, Long sleeve crepe top, £16, Stripe raglan tee, £16

I also had a look at River Island's new collection and sure as anything they have started bringing out those rich autumn colours that I adore! Although RI don't have a maternity department, I always find you can make their clothes work for a maternity look pretty easily, especially whilst the bump is still small in the grand scheme of things! Last time around I remember buying some loose swing dresses in a size up and these worked really well to accommodate my growing tummy. 

Above, all River Island: Cream check relaxed blazer, £60, Yellow floral swing dress, £35, Cream floral swing dress, £38, Light floral print shirt, £38

I'll show you some more maternity style ideas, as and when I feel inspired! It's fun reeling through what the shops have on offer because I find that more often than not, you can recreate these looks from your own wardrobe without having to spend a penny! That said, i'll be the first to admit i'm a total sucker for shopping! Haha!

Happy thursday guys!

Love Bunty

xXx

Expecting mama's spa night in!

This evening, after putting Noah down to bed, I decided to have a bit of a homemade spa evening. It has been a busy day of getting through household chores and we have all been feeling quite tired from our busy month. So I lit the candles, started the bath running, picked out my favourite and most comfy nightie and took some time out to pamper myself from the comfort of my own home!

After bathing, I used my favourite bio-oil and Palmers tummy butter as part of my pregnancy skin routine. These not only smell amazing, but they really seem to help with scarring/ stretch marks. I also found Palmers to be an amazing brand for soothing that itchy sensation that comes with an expanding tummy! 

Our little munchkin Noah brings me so much joy, but I think that being pregnant as well as taking care of him I'm noticing how tired I feel in the evenings. Being able to have some quiet time to myself  after his bedtime is a real treat! 

Tell tale sign of a family bath- complete with bath time toys! It's always the simple things!

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to show you how I like to wind down in the evenings when I'm feeling especially self indulgent! Haha! 

I hope you are all having a relaxing evening!

Love Bunty

xXx

Cosy pyjama cuddles

After bath time this evening we were all feeling like crashing into bed! We popped Noah's new pyjamas on, readied his milk and chose his story book to read with him. He has done so well being away from home for most of August now, so I think he really enjoyed some familiar downtime with Daddy on the sofa. 

Noah normally doesn't let us read his books to him in his cot because if we are around he will tend to protest that it's bedtime. So being able to have a story all snuggled up on the sofa is a good way of getting around the bedtime troubles that can arise! We've all had a bit of a chilled out day, I've been tackling the mammoth unpack/laundry, whilst Eddy has been doing a bit of work from home and Noah has been getting some serious playtime in! I found myself repeatedly telling Eddy how much I have enjoyed having him around today and what a lovely day it has been just hanging at home.

\

I hope you're all having a pleasant evening,

Love Bunty

xXx

Detox dinner!

After what has pretty much been a whole month on the road and countless 'quick fixes' for dinner which weren't necessarily always health conscious, tonight I have begun a bit of a detox week where I am going to be cramming in lots of veggies and fruit! 

Tonight I made a simple salad with plenty of veggies, topped with a slice of salmon. Eddy wasn't eating with us so I just prepared enough for Noah and I and, if I do say so myself, it was delicious!

It was so easy to make: I literally popped two pieces of salmon in the oven to heat and whilst they were heating up I tossed some lettuce leaves, baby tomatoes, cucumber, celery and mozzarella cheese into a bowl and divided the portions into mine and a smaller version for Noah. When the salmon was cooked, I seasoned mine with a touch of pepper and used a vinaigrette dressing for the salad...mmm!

Simple, quick and packed full of goodness, this little recipe will be making a quick return to our table, i'm sure!

Love Bunty

xXx

Blog support

Whilst at our Youth 2000 retreat last week, I met a lady who recognised me from my blog and wanted to offer her verbal support and tell me how much she enjoyed reading it. I was really taken aback because at the time, Noah was busy playing with her little girl and they were being so funny that I was stifling laughter during a talk we were meant to be listening to! It felt like such a small world that this lovely family would find my blog useful, much less that they would recognise Noah and I sitting there messing about with toys in a marquee! 

I had a couple of lovely chats with this lady and felt I could really connect with her in our mutual raising of children and our Catholic identity. I know there are lots of people who have given me a great deal of confidence by their support of BuntyLiving and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all sincerely for you support, well wishes and kindness towards my family and I. I hope you continue to enjoy what you read and by all means, if you have any blog requests or thoughts I would love to hear from you!

Love Bunty

xXx

16 weeks pregnant!

Hello everyone! It feels like it has been forever since posting on here! We have had another amazing week away at the big Youth 2000 Walsingham retreat (more on that soon!) but we are home now and I cannot believe I am now 16 weeks pregnant! Sorry I have skipped out on week 15, I didn't even come close to documenting it as we have been so busy last week, so i'll roll these last two weeks together!

How far along? I'm 16 weeks today, I know I keep saying it, but I still can't get over how fast this pregnancy seems to be going. It's disappearing!

Total weight gain/measurements: I weighed myself this morning and since the start of this pregnancy I have gained about 8lbs in total which is pretty consistent with the 'recommended average' weight gain this far into my second trimester now, so I'm happy with that.  As for measurements, my belly is rounding off more so I did measure it this week. After Noah, my measurements were waist: 26", tummy: 32", hips: 36". Now i'm definitely growing, especially in my tummy region, my waist is 27", tummy: 34", hips: 37". I feel like I'm growing quite quickly at the moment so I need to keep lathering on the bio oil to help my skins elasticity and hopefully avoid stretch marks!

Maternity clothes: I'm still wearing a lot of non-maternity clothes like my low-rise skinny jeans as they finish under my bump so they are still quite comfy to wear. But I have been also wearing maternity jeans too. I'm finding jeans are getting a bit uncomfortable at the end of the day and tend to dig into my belly a bit too much, so i've been loving wearing my comfy pj's in the evenings! 

Stretch marks: No new ones, but Im aware that I'm expanding now so it's time to really think about getting plenty of moisture and oil into the skin around those areas, especially my tummy!

Sleep: Again, for the past couple of weeks we have been away camping, so sleep has been a little out of routine for all of us. I've found my old friend heartburn creeping back into the evenings a little bit. Normally as I lie down to sleep I notice that familiar burning sensation. I used to get heartburn a lot when I was pregnant with Noah and it got a lot worse as the pregnancy progressed, but thankfully a couple of Rennies really help it go away!

Best moment this week: Being at our youth 2000 retreat was really special for us all and having all our families together was wonderful!

Miss anything? Not really, i'm so glad to be back in my own bed though!

Movement? I'm not sure! I have had a couple of ripple like sensations which were exactly like the first movements I had with Noah. However, it's very hard at the beginning to know the difference between baby movement and food digestion!  They say you feel movement sooner with subsequent pregnancies and with Noah I was definitely feeling movement at 17 weeks, so it's very likely that i'll be feeling movement this week and into next! I can't tell you how exciting this part of pregnancy is when you get to learn about your baby's own sleep/wake patterns and stimulate their movement with a few gentle prods. I find this part of pregnancy really helps you to bond and realise that this pregnancy is for real! 

Food cravings? Nothing in particular, but I have a larger appetite for sure!

Anything making you feel queasy or sick? This week I have felt really queasy when brushing my teeth. I don't know why it's been such a problem because it never normally is! But yeah, it has grossed me out every time!

Gender: Still don't know, but we will hopefully find out at our 20 week scan. Can't wait to find out whether we will be having a little girl or boy. 

Labour signs: Nope!

Symptoms: A lot of round ligament pain recently, especially when getting up from lying down or making jerky movements. These are sharp pains you get in your tummy as your uterus expands and sometimes if you move too fast you can strain the muscles a bit which is uncomfortable but nothing majorly bad.

Belly button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time? I've felt really challenged this week for different reasons. Because Eddy has been so busy working at the Y2K retreat, i've found it truly exhausting looking after Noah one on one for most of the time. I think that has had quite an impact on my mood but it is so nice to finally be home and able to relax now!

Looking forward to? A warm bubbly bath tonight and getting some new bits and pieces for Noah! (More on that soon!)

So that is everything for this week! What a crazy one it has been! But i'm delighted that so far everything seems to be going really well with this pregnancy and we are very blessed to be planning this next addition to our little family!

Love Bunty

xXx

Youth 2000

For the last week, we have joined 1000 young people from all over the country to gather at Walsingham for a prayer festival. This is something our family has been going to every year for 14 years now and it is firmly routed in all our diaries as the unquestionable August Bank holiday event.

I owe a lot to Youth 2000, where I met my husband, Eddy and many other inspiring young Catholics. This year's festival was particularly exciting as we celebrated 25 years of Youth 2000 as an organisation. Youth 2000, as a charity and as a mission, seeks to bring young people into the heart of the Catholic Church and to a personal encounter with Christ. Many lives have been transformed though these retreats and festivals and many vocations have been discovered also. It is a great testament to the goodness of God and his desire to meet us where we are and transform our hearts.

I could really go on as I have had so many privileged experiences from my years associated with Youth 2000. For us, this week has been a wonderful opportunity to tune into our faith and meet and spend time with other like-minded young people. 

It has brought its own challenges too, as my husband Eddy takes a lead role with the music ministry and graphic design and so he has been running round like a headless chicken all week! I always think part of the miracle of this particular retreat is that it manages to bring both of our families together in one field! These days that is no easy accomplishment for our expanding broods! But seeing everyone we know and love together really was a highlight for me personally.

I could go on for ages but I wanted to keep this post simple. Youth 2000 is very dear to my heart and that of my husband's too. You can find out more about their work and mission here.

Love Bunty

xXx

Berrys and Grey

Whilst we were at Polzeath beach in Cornwall last week, I took several opportunities to have a little look around the local shops and came across Berry's and Grey. I remember popping in last year and wishing I could buy everything on offer! This year was no different. As you walk in, still able to hear the rolling waves on the nearby beach, you are surrounded by beautiful treasures for the home, some with a nautical theme, others with a more quaint cottage style. Rows of beautiful pastel kew botanical gardening pots stand before you, all filled with goodies for the home. As you move through the shop, the highly polished style of modern furniture glistens at you. Mirrors and ornaments are gathered alongside stunning lamps and light shades which hang above creating a both exciting and enticing arrangement of possibilities for your own home.

I felt really inspired by some of the gift ideas and decor ideas alike and I thought you might enjoy a virtual perusal of these lovely shelves...

I hope you enjoyed these snaps as much as I did! You can check out the beautiful website and online shop here for more information.

Love Bunty

xXx

Baby beach essentials

Taking a one year old off for a beach holiday required a lot more 'planning' than I first anticipated it would. Because we were camping, my main priority was to try and be prepared for all eventualities: be it rainy, sunny, windy, and knowing regardless there would be lots and lots of sand everywhere! 

As I was trying to clear the sand from our car before we left for home on Saturday, I realised there are some things ( namely, sand) you just can't beat! But I compiled a list of essentials which have definitely made our holiday easier, more practical and more enjoyable for Noah.

Sunscreen factor 50: This is an absolute requirement for babies, even if it doesn't seem particularly hot, UV rays are very harmful to sensitive skin and nobody wants to see their baby burn in the sun! Thankfully, this has protected Noah's skin well all week, with only a couple of applications needed per day, it really has done its job well!

Sun hat: Obviously this is again really important to keep the sun out of Noah's face and it also protects his neck from getting burnt too.

Water: Keeping the fluids going during an active day helps keep everyone feeling refreshed and well.

Snacks: Be they for bargaining, buying time between meals, or just as a treat, snacks are always helpful to have around a young baby. Noah particularly likes his fruit and quaver crisps!

Wetsuit: Is it just me, or do babies have super thick skin and don't feel the cold? Even without his wetsuit on, Noah was happy to sit tummy- deep in a rock pool! Nevertheless, he enjoyed wearing his wetsuit and it seemed to keep him warm and content whilst splashing around.

Wet costume: Noah wore this under his wetsuit as a bit of a rash vest. Apart from looking super cute it kept the sun off his body and on those windier days, it kept him nice and cosy too.

Lazy jacks towel: We picked this up in a Cornwall as I couldn't get hold of one before our holiday. These hooded poncho towels are brilliant for drying off a little one after being in the sea. They are really practical too so you don't have to worry about having a wriggler in your hands. Noah was quite happy to just sit with his towel on and air dry most of the time.

Warm clothes: Perfect for slipping into after the day at the beach. Just as the temperature started to drop, we were all thankful for having some warm jogger bottoms and jumpers to slip on!

Waterproof jacket: Ideal for the changeable Cornish weather! Noah's is from Asda, it's lightweight which makes it really practical to fold up when not in use. Having it on hand was ever so helpful when the clouds rolled in and the heavens poured down!

Toys: What child doesn't love buckets and spades on the beach? Hours of fun can be had with the simplest toys!

So that is my list of beach essentials for my one year old baby. I'd love to hear your thoughts and own lists mamas out there!

Love Bunty

xXx

Noah's best holiday moment

Thinking back over the last week there have been lots of special moments and memories that I will remember. I was especially impressed with how well Noah coped with a new environment. Day one, he was quite hesitant about the sand covering his toes on the beach. He didn't like it at all at first, but soon got use to it and even enjoyed playing with his bucket and spades. 

At Watergate bay there are a group of rocks where, when the tide is out, reveal some excellent rock pools for little ones to splash around in. We took Noah down with a bodyboard and, suited up in his new wetsuit, he had a ball being pushed around the pools of a water. The different pools all connected with each other via streams of water and so it was easy to manoeuvre him about on the bodyboard riding between each one. 

It was a lot of fun to watch him and so entertaining to see him really go for it. He splashed his way through the pools sending water flying in every direction with a massive grin on his face! It's definitely one of my favourite memories of this summer just to see the simple fun that can be had from a rock pool!

Love Bunty 

xXx