I've been neglecting an old friend ...

My garden.

We've been busy working on our allotment and I am sad to say that my poor little garden has been a bit neglected.

I was out there this evening planting some more seeds (courgette and purple sprouting broccoli) in the greenhouse. I wish we had smell-o-vision on the computer as the aroma was amazing! The air was thick with the scent of lilac. It was so so beautiful.  Mmmmmmm

Here are a few pics 

Lilac and cherry blossom

Apple blossom

More competitions!

Yes, I have recently won two competitions! I never win anything (and will be choosing my third competition carefully, I tell you!)

This was another twitter competition where all I had to do was retweet! And I won! hurrah!

This is a lovely lovely book, full of yummy recipe ideas for little people.  So far, Baby Plum has enjoyed roast vegetable fingers, guacamole and will demolish a whole bowl (baby sized, of course!) of delicious hummus.

We are looking forward to trying out other recipes as Baby Plum gets older!

You can buy Jennie Maizels "Finger Food For Babies and Toddlers" here and can also follow Jennie on Twitter

Baby Led Weaning: Our adventures so far!

April already! Hellooooo!

Well, Baby Plum is now 33 weeks and we have been enjoying weaning for the last seven, or so, weeks.

I hadn't really given weaning much thought but as she hurtled towards being 17 weeks old and my other Mummy Friends began to give their babies purees and baby rice - I started to look into it!

I don't know where I came across the term "Baby Led Weaning" first. Probably a blog. But it made sense to me.

The basic premise is to hold off weaning until your baby is 6 months old (and their digestive system is more developed) and offer them food. No, not purees and mash. Your food, the food off your plate. Some broccoli? Mmm. Roast vegetable fingers? Yes please! Some fajita veg in Chiquitos - YEAH!!

I didn't know when to start. But Baby Plum knew when she was ready for food. It was the day she grabbed a banana out of my hand and shoved it in her mouth!

I love banana!

Not the best self portrait - but here we are enjoying fajita veg salad!

I'll have a full English, Mummy!

I love Mexican tortillas! Can I have some more guacamole please - it makes a lovely face pack!!

I do spoon feed Baby Plum her breakfast as I can't cope with porridge being spread around my kitchen each morning!

The thing with BLW is that food should be fun - Baby Plum will play with most of her food rather that eat it all up. She does eat some of it (her nappies are proof of that!) but her main source of nutrients continues to be her milk feeds. She sits at the table with me and Mr Plum each evening and has some of whatever we are eating. She has tried so much food! It is great fun.

Spring is here!

Well, Spring is here, so it is time to get out into the greenhouse and plant some seeds!

The Plums spent the weekend down on the allotment - you can read more about that on Allotment Plot 7A

But what is the point of a weekend of digging and soil prep if you haven't got any plants to plant in it?!

Above is my afternoon's work. We have:

Tomatoes

Peperone, Money Maker, 100 & 1000s, San Marzano, Roma & Ailsa Craig (I do like to try a variety of tomatoes!)

Aubergine

Red Marconi Pepper

Looking forward to waiting for the seedlings to appear!

Spring Flowers

Baby Plum has been poorly for the last week with a nasty bug. She has perked up over the weekend and has spent the afternoon sleeping in her pram in the garden. She is now awake and demanding my attention, so I had best be off!!

Babywearing: A Review of My Wonderful Snugbaby Sling

Those eagle-eyed readers among you may have noticed this logo appear on my blog a month or so ago ...

Well, I entered the competition and I won!! Yes, I WON A SLING!!!!

Here we are in front facing mode ... Baby Plum is mid raspberry blow ... she really likes to blow raspberries!

I bought myself a bog standard Mothercare sling when pregnant. I knew that I would want to carry Baby Plum this way sometimes, but didn't research the whole sling thing as much as I should have. In fact, although a very good friend of mine is a self confessed "breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth nappying mama" it didn't even occur to me to ask her advice on which sling to get .... anyway, a few facebook whinges about my sling later, and my friend suggested I look at all the different slings in the market, and maybe visit a local sling meet to try them out.

I did look at the different slings, but was put off by the fact that the baby is only held in by a couple of knots ... and the price, having already forked out for one sling, I couldn't really justify the £60 odd quid being charged for other slings.

Well, that was a mistake as it would have been £60 odd quid well spent! I have worn my new sling quite a bit since collecting it from the Post Office depot last week. I have tried baby Plum in the front facing and inward facing positions (but not on my back yet!) and it is so comfy for me and the babe. In fact, it does not feel like I am carrying 16lbs of baby on my front!

The material is lovely and I was able to choose my design (I went for this lovely Blossom design), the sling is reversible if Mr Plum fancies wearing it, but doesn't want the blossom design!

I would definitely recommend this kind of sling to anyone who is looking to try out a spot of babywearing!

Baby Plum is a bit poorly at the moment, otherwise I would have tried her out in the hip wearing position and be in the greenhouse!

Allotment Plot 7A

The Plums are very proud to announce that they have finally reached the top of the local allotment waiting list and have a plot of their very own!

Yes, we have an allotment!!

I know that I vowed NEVER to grow tomatoes again ... but I think that I just don't have the space or the sunshine in my little garden and am hoping that I will have more success over at the plot.

Follow our adventures over at our new blog where both Mr Plum and myself will be writing about our digging and building (Mr Plum) and delicately planting seeds (me!)

Spread the word, allotment themed giveaway once we have 50 followers!

I'm back and I'm making stuff!

Helloooooo-ooooo!

Hope everyone is fine and dandy!

I'm back!

I've been very busy lately - but have been keeping up with all of your lovely blogs, and even finding a moment to leave a comment or two! But, I have decided that it has been too long since I last posted a blog ... so here I am!

Here is a little birdy toy I have made for Baby Plum ... I am planning on making some more with different fillings (sand, rice, beans, bells...). She liked it and put it straight into her mouth! I used a cute little pattern from CK's "sew" book.

Where does the time go?

Apologies for the radio silence on here! I really don't know where the time goes ... well, I do have a pretty good idea ... she is now 6 months old and an absolute darling!

I have so many blog posts drafted in my head! I'm off up North for the whole of next week to stay with my inlaws - but once I am back home normalish blogging service will be resumed!

Coming soon to a computer screen near you ...

My adventures with Baby Led Weaning

The Plums Walk the North Downs Way

The Monthly Make Challenge

52 Makes Madness Challenge

More Jamie's 30 Minute Meals

I won a Competition!

Possibly a review or two ...

See you soon!

Jamie's 30 Minute Meals

At 5.30pm, me and Baby Plum settle down in front of the TV to watch Jamie's 30 Minute Meals!

My parents bought me the cookbook which accompanies the series for Christmas and I finally got around to trying out one of the meals.

There are a lot of non-believers out there! But as Jamie explains in his book and on the TV - you need to get your into your 30 minute mind set!

Do you have all your ingredients ready?

Have you got your food processor with the coarse chopper ready? Kettle boiled? Knives and chopping board?

Pans ready?

30 minutes (and 4 seconds!) later ... Spagetti Alla Puttanesca (with quorn instead of fish), crunchy salad, garlic bread and silky chocolate ganache. Delicious!

(Apologies for the photo - I really should have unwrapped the garlic bread a bit better before taking the pic!)

Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Lissylou ... you are a WINNER!!

Lavender Cupcakes

Again, not the best pic - but here are two of the lavender cupcakes I made for the girls at my Baby Massage class this week!

I was a bit dubious at first, but have to admit that they did taste rather lovely!

January Monthly Make: Pixie Hat

Here is another pixie hat I have made for a friend's new baby ... apologies for the quality of the photo but I am having issues with iphoto (and along with feeling a bit snotty, having just eaten a disgusting meal cooked by my own fair hand (I forgot about the pasta while trying to calm a fractious baby!) I have lost all patience with it!!)

This hat is my January entry into the Felt Fairy's Monthly Make Challenge!

Naughty Victoria Plum Does Some Baking

I have had to cut down on my baking!

I was baking cakes and eating (most of!) them. This wasn't helping my attempt to lose the 'Mum Tum" (ahem! and the rest!!)

But I love baking soooooo much!

I was given the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook for Christmas - and decided that I would bake some cupcakes to take to my Baby Massage class on Friday morning.

I opted for the 'Black Bottom Cupcakes' ... initially I thought the recipe sounded a bit fiddly...but it wasn't at all. Oh my goodness! Dark choc sponge, with a dollop of cheesecake filling (did I mention the chocolate chips?) topped off with cream cheese frosting ...

D E L I C I O U S!!!

And went down very well with the girls at Baby Massage.

I'll be making the Lavender Cupcakes for next week's class!

Ooooh Fabric and Yarn!!

I have just got back from a very successful trip to the Stitching and Craft Show at Sandown.

I had a budget in mind (and I almost kept to it until I saw some yarn which I couldn't resist!). As I only have one my month on my full salary before I go onto statutory maternity pay, I thought I would stock up on the crafty bits and bobs I need to see me through the next few months (I will be heading to The Felt Fairy once I have been paid!)

I couldn't resist these fat quarters .... I love the Beatles fabric! Maybe I will make Baby Plum a funky Elvis skirt for the summer?

I bought a couple of bargain 5 half meter rolls of fabric. I am thinking of making a greeny blue patchwork quilt and well, I just couldn't resist the Liberty (style?) fabric

Let's not forget my first love ... Knitting!!

Some lovely Rowan yarn (is 10 rolls excessive?) It was half price, so couldn't not buy it now, could I? I have a lovely pattern for a knitted pinafore dress. Baby Plum will look cute as a button in it. And talking of buttons, I picked up some gorgeous ladybird buttons to accessorise the dress with!

And my final purchase ... this lovely little book ... I will be making Baby Plum some knitted veg!!

This wasn't a huge show and I was a little disappointed that there were no jelly rolls of fabric for sale as I had planned to get one (being a little bit of a cheat for my first quilt!) and I would have liked to get a Clothkit for myself and Baby Plum. I went along with two of my crafty pals Brocante Belle and HannahRosie.

Brocante Belle has recently started blogging - she was also a bored civil servant (like me and Mr Plum) but she escaped!! She needs a bit of encouragement to keep blogging about her creations - so go and take a look at her patchwork quilt - it was the first one she made and is fabulous!

HannahRosie is a crochet whizz ... I am very jealous of her lovely crocheted animals. I have added a link to her Ravelry page (if you are on ravelry, take a look!) Baby Plum is very lucky to be the proud owner of one of her crocheted donkey's!

An Award!

The lovely Justine over at Emma Bear Forever has awarded me a Stylish Blogger Award! Thanks!!

I need to tell you seven facts about myself and then award another 15 of my favourite blogs.

Hummmmm seven facts about me:

1. I grew up in the country and moved to London in 2001 as a compromise - Mr Plum refused to move to the country and I refused to move to the North.

2. I have been vegetarian since I was 14 ... so that will be 19 years then!

3. I love to read

4. I had a baby in August 2010

5. I live in London but never ever see anyone famous ... and yet friends will visit me and see a hundred famous people on their way to my house!

6. I love chai lattes and ginger biscuits - they are my one weakness apart from ...

7. ... Afternoon Tea, as Spencer Tracy said "when I die I want to go to Claridges"

I would like to nominate the following blogs which both cheer and inspire me:

1. Retromummy

2.Mary Poppins

3.Smilernpb

4. The Victorians Didn't Even Like Pink

5.Scented Sweetpeas

6. Thrifty Mrs

7. Vintage Vicki

8. Do You Mind If I Knit?

9. Kelly's Recipes For Life

10. The Felt Fairy

11. Emma Bear Forever

12. Red Gingham

13. Faerie Nuff

14.Lululizinlalaland

15. Florence and Mary

Odeon Newbies

Today me and Baby Plum went to the pics.

Yes, that's right - I took my baby to the cinema!!

We watched "The King's Speech" at the Newbie screening at Streatham Odeon this afternoon.

The sound is turned down slightly, the lights are turn up a little, lovely ladies walk around with tea and biscuits, some babies cry (mine didn't!), some burp and fart (that one was mine!) but we all managed to enjoy a wonderful film! I am so glad that I have discovered these screenings!

I know that Picturehouse cinemas also have similar screenings, so I will be checking these out in future too!

Baby Plum: Time to Wean

Can you believe that Baby Plum is 5 months old?

I am starting to think about the next stage of our adventure! I have exclusively breastfed her for (almost) 5 months ... but due to Health Visitors making me panic about her weight (not putting weight on as fast as they would like) and teething making breastfeeding hard for her, I have decided to move onto formula feeding. I do feel a bit sad as I would have liked to have continued to breastfeed for a bit longer. But heh ho!

I am beginning to think about weaning!

I definitely don't want to start before her 6 month birthday but am thinking about trying 'baby led weaning'. Through my google searches I have found some very interesting articles and blogs on this subject - in particular This Mummy Loves ... I thought that Dawnie's idea of sitting her daughter at the table when she was 5 months old while she and her husband ate dinner was a fantastic idea. We sat Baby Plum in her Bumbo while we ate on Sunday ...
daddy ... can I have a sip of beer please?

I have ordered a book from Amazon and look forward to giving it a try in a few weeks time!

A Monthly Make 2011

Annie, the Felt Fairy is organising the Monthly Make 2011. Do you pledge to make something each month? I do!

Pompom Pixie Scarf

A scarf to match the Pompom Pixie Hat!

Woohoo! A GIVEAWAY!

I had a few extra followers over the festive period which took me to over 50 ... and as promised, I will be holding a giveaway to celebrate!

You will get an entry for each of the following:

1. Become a follower of this blog

2. Add my giveaway button to your blog

3.Follow me on Twitter

4. Leave a comment on this post letting me know whether you have done 1, 2 or 3 ... or all three!

I haven't decided on a prize yet ... it will be a surprise!

The lucky blogger will have their name pulled out of a biscuit tin at

9pm on 30 January!

Good Luck!