Catch Up a la Facebook Status Update Style - Blogtoberfest Day... What day is this?

Melanie Gray Augustin has a sick husband and bub that won't nap

Melanie Gray Augustin busy, busy, busy

Melanie Gray Augustin had a great time at Brown Owls yesterday

Melanie Gray Augustin has nearly finished the photoshop tutorial and will put it on the blog soon

Melanie Gray Augustin wishes her last name was spelt with the final "e" like it's pronounced

Melanie Gray Augustin 's name isn't actually officially Melanie Gray Augustin - I will get around to changing it to that one day...

Melanie Gray Augustin has finished the Japanese Paper Dolls tutorial and will put it on the blog in the next few days

Melanie Gray Augustin is very excited that her wooden handbag handle samples arrived from her manufacturer this morning

Melanie Gray Augustin was embarrassed to answer the door to receive the samples in her pjs at 11 in the morning

Melanie Gray Augustin really wants a new sewing machine

Melanie Gray Augustin is back on Etsy

Melanie Gray Augustin promises to put her Blogtoberfest giveaway on the blog this week

Melanie Gray Augustin is joining BrisStyle

Melanie Gray Augustin tried Krispy Kreme doughnuts for the first time yesterday - liked the Very Vanilla and the Mudcake, wouldn't buy the others again

Melanie Gray Augustin had to try all the doughnuts on her own because when she arrived home with them to share with hubby, he was busy being sick

Melanie Gray Augustin should be working instead of playing on Facebook

Melanie Gray Augustin is worried about all this talking about herself in the third person...

Melanie Gray Augustin promises to return to normal style blogging soon

**Update** The fabulous Tinniegirl suggested something fun - turning this into a meme... a once off I think is enough (we don't want to be talking about ourselves in the third person too often do we...) and well, I've always wanted an excuse to put the Mr Linky thing on my blog, so... I'd love to hear about your day/week/month/life in Facebook Status format. If you do, help me play with Mr Linky and add your name. Hope you join in!

Still Here

Just a quick note to say that yes, I'm still here and still pregnant. Very largely and obviously pregnant now, but very happily pregnant. Maybe too happily so, the bub seems very cosy and isn't showing any signs of wanting to come anytime soon.

As it has been during most of my pregnancy, it's like I'm on happy drugs. Life now goes at a snail's pace filled with lots of naps and cooking. My mum has come out from New Zealand to stay and help and has been a real angel. I've been spending lots of lovely social hours with her and with friends. I've unpacked the last of the boxes and nearly have the studio in working order. Not much else has been done on my to-do list and I'm very behind on my blog reading.

I had a wonderful morning visiting the BrisStyle market today and all the fabulous BrisStylettes. It was great to see a large turn-out for the day. Tomorrow morning I'll go and work for a few hours at the stall I share with my cousin at the Young Designers Market.

Not knowing when there's going to be any "action" around here, in the next couple of weeks I have movie plans, dinner plans, more markets to visit and more plans to catch up with friends. We'll just wait and see how much of that actually happens....

A Quick Catch-Up with Pictures

I swear someone has hit the fast-forward button on my life. Time is flying by and it's getting closer and closer to the day that I'll get to meet my little girl. There are still so many things to do before she comes.

The last week has been a lovely one with great catch-ups with dear friends over a number of days.

One catch-up involved a decadent Chocolate High Tea with the girls. I was totally spoiled with presents for the baby, but mostly came away from it so thankful for the truly amazing female friends I have in my life. They are all so intelligent, travelled, kind, funny and loyal. I feel really blessed.

Another day I got to christen my Shinzi Katoh tea set and so whipped up some cupcakes for the occasion.

I continued to be in a baking mood, so cooked up a damper for lunch with DH. Last than ten minutes after sitting down, he said to me "Actually, I'm quite full." I looked at him and said "Well maybe that's because you just ate half a loaf of damper." He looked at the plate and replied "Wow, I did too. It's really good."

I've continued to enjoy cooking this week and made a salmon and dill cream fettucini for DH for dinner tonight. As he always does the cooking, he's loving the break.

We are still very slowly setting up the baby's room. We finally bought a set of drawers so that I can sort out all her clothes that I've been busy pre-washing. While the drawer top will become the change table, I could resist setting out some of her lovely toys for now.

How adorable are these? The face-less frog was knitted for me by one of my Japanese student's mums before I left Japan. The sleepy lamb was from my SIL and the baby's cousin and the pink bull from my cousin.

Some Japanese-ness there too. The wooden plaque is a music box that plays the sweetest little tune, another gift from Japan before I left.

I still have to get started on making the nappies, find a bookcase for the room (she has quite a collection of books already and that's only going to grow), put up shelves, paint some furniture, work on some artwork for the room, sew a mobile... the list goes on. So while I am very excited about meeting my baby, would someone mind slowing time down for me?

Mended

Thank you so much to everyone for all the "get well" wishes. I'm happy to say, I'm all back together again.

Lately, I've been in a bit of a blogging slump, so Big Cat's announcement of BLOGTOBERFEST has come at a perfect time for me. I'm going to try to break out and get back into blogging regularly.

I have a busy month ahead of me actually, so hopefully I'll have something blogworthy to say. My big sister is arriving on Monday for a three week visit to Japan. It's her first time here, so I am very excited. I have a few days off next week, so we're going to Kyoto. I love the old Japanese capital and it's been a couple of years since I was there last. I might even see if I can talk her into getting done up as a geisha with me. It's a terribly touristy thing to do, but I have always wanted to try it.

Photo by Pokdeo

This is one place I'm sure to take here, the bamboo forest in Arashiyama.

Before she arrives, we're madly trying to prepare the apartment. I'm moving as much as I can out of my crowded workroom to make way for her futon.

Oh, and one last piece of news! I became and aunt today!