Deliveries, gifts, craftiness, pie & more…
There have been a lot of deliveries to the Cherry Blossom Adventures household in the last week and I have to say, boy do I love getting mail especially mail that comes in boxes!
Last week a package arrived from my mum which had some baby singlets, wedding photos, a hand-knit baby blanket and more- she mentioned yesterday that she had sent another package on Friday filled with more things for baby and me and has another one ready to go next week.
Here is the blanket mum knit over winter for goma-chan- it is soooooo soft.
Next, on Friday last week a delivery came in with Goma-chan`s new crib! We set it up over the weekend albeit a couple of months early!!! Shun thinks it looks a bit girly but I don`t really care and love the bright colours. We have another futon set in blue but it is not as bright as this one…
Then on Monday a sewing machine arrived from a lovely new friend in Kanagawa-ken, Brooke, who when she heard I was having difficulties with my one brought from Australia offered up her old Brother machine for free! I have already had it out on two occasions testing it out and sewing things up- it is a standard Japanese machine meaning no foot pedal but I am already starting to get the hang of it. It is fairly basic but I am a beginner sewer and it basically does everything my old machine does.
Before it arrived I hand sewed a bib for Goma-chan (First attempt really at hand-sewing anything that wasn`t a button or a tiny rip)
Then I used the machine to make this tag blanket- one side is cotton and the other is cotton flannel and then there are lots of ribbons for baby to play with and suck on. I am thinking I will make another one of these before goma-chan arrives.
Lastly, today, Marianne from Kyuushu sent us a bag of rice from the “Pay it Forward” give away she held several months back! I am so grateful firstly because YAY, free rice and secondly as we were almost out this totally saves me lugging a bag home from the supermarket next week.
I did post about the “pay it forward” giveaway several months back and had three comments but no-one wrote about it on their blog. If you commented and still want to participate then put up a post with the rules (originally listed here) and email me to say it is done and I will organize your give-away.
I have been in a bit of a crafty mood of late and also finished my friend Junni`s scarf for this winter- I have stopped and started this one many times and didn`t do any of it in Australia. It is to match his snowboard gear and I will give it to him in a couple of weeks. He had a bad accident a couple months back while snow boarding and needed to get his shoulder and arm pinned but he plans to go out again this winter so hopefully the scarf will come in handy.
Today I met up with Melanie (for the first time) and her lovely husband T (he is lovely because he carried my shopping- what a gentleman!). We had a yummy lunch before hitting Kinokuniya to look at the kids books. Melanie is due to have her baby in October so Goma-chan and her little one will be very close in age so I am sure we will be meeting up much more. She gave me this lovely hand-made gift for Goma-chan (Tako-kun!). He is already in Goma-chan`s bed!
Oh and lastly I leave you with a keitai picture of the pie I made for dinner last night- my friend James came to help us demolish it! Shun requested I make meat pie last week and I was happy to oblige (and James was happy to come eat it 
) – James took this photo and sent it to me at my request because I completely forgot to take a photo.
I am now so tired because I actually got up early (just after 9am, trust me lately, for me that is early) and went out for most of the day. It is amazing how much a day out takes it out of me now- just a couple more weeks until I am in 3rd trimester but I think the sleepiness stage is already starting to set in.
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Oh I love the photos of all the lovely stuff you’ve been receiving lately! You will need to email me your new address as I think I’d like to send something to you quite soon!
)
Also, we are having going away party for Tom this Friday and I thought I’d do some canapes for the event. One is aussie meat pies and I seem to remember you do a very mean beef pie! Any recipes or tips you could forward??
Oh and I don’t think Goma-chan’s cot is too girly – it’s lovely and bright (love the koala)! Your green polka dot bib is just too cute too!
I definitely don`t think the cot is too girly now that you`ve shown the picture (although T is still going with Shun on that one it seems).
We had a great time meeting up with you today! I meant to ask about the sewing machine when I saw you today but didn`t remember until after I got on the train to head home. I`m glad it arrived.
You have gotten some great goodies. I love the crib. I don’t think it’s girly at all. The colors are vibrant and the animals are adorable!
Your sewing rocks, I wish I could do that free hand
Mmm meat pie, looks so good, I’m jealous!
Wow, you’re on a roll!! Another box should be arriving from Kyushu – Ryu has started outgrowing things and the baby bath is up stairs slowly getting filled. I’ll try and have it to about four weeks before your due date just in case!!
I love his crib. In fact I would love to curl up in there for a day or two right now!!
Also loving the handsewn bib and tag blanket thing. What a great idea! If you’re feeling crafty and you have spare tags…
Pat the bump from Oita.
Nice stuff! I like the crib. Our new apartment is all done in that dark wood and I love it. I don’t think the crib is terribly girly. Red is a really lucky color in China so you see lots of boy and girl babies in red! It isn’t nearly as bad as one of Dylan’s cousins, the poor kid is two years old and wearing his 7 year old sister’s hand me down frilly pink pants, haha.
I love getting packages too, which is why online shopping is so dangerous for me! I lol’d at the pay it forward rice though. That’s just the kind of gift my husband would get excited over, he’s totally into practical stuff like that.
I love, love, love the tag blanket and can guarantee that Goma-chan will too. KK is all about the tags, I don’t know why we even bother with toys as I’m sure he could make do just fine with an empty tissue box and pile of tags, simple things!
I’m envious of your baby bed, KK is still sleeping in a play and pack as we haven’t gotten around to getting him a crib sorted yet, poor boy. I’m loving the red too!
We should try to arrange to meet up if you have any time on your hands. KK and I are always about and we can talk all things baby, very exciting indeed.
I love the cot – it is so cute!! Definitely not too girly!!
The blanket your mum knitted is beautiful!! It looks so soft in the photo!! Goma chan is going to love it!!
I have never heard of a tag blanket before – will have to google it
But it looks like you did a great job on it!!
Oooh I didn’t realise it was Christmas already?
Everything looks so great and your handsewing impresses me. You’ll have no problems with the endless kinder stuff they need here!
Going crosseyed staring at the pie picture. Is it beef mince and bacon?? I am making a pie at my cooking class next month and have never yet found the right mince- pork is way too fatty, chicken tasteless and beef really grainy/ dry. Hmmm, it’s probably me but any hints before September 30 would be hugely appreciated!! I’ll even give you naming rights in my recipe handout.
Thanks everyone! I got even MORE parcels in the post today as well- books from amazon, parcel from my mum and a thank you wedding gift thing from Shun`s cousin. LOVE MAIL!
I hope nobody gets the wrong idea- my hand sewing is pretty sucky and the bib will most likely fall apart after a couple of washes but it was fun making it. And hey, even if I only use it 2-3 times! Definitely getting excited about doing more machine sewing too.
GW- will send Ryu a tag blanket once I get some more ribbon. Going to Tsudanuma next week to meet a friend so will go to Yuzuwaya then- have to pick up a couple other things anyway.
Michelle- Would love to meet up. Will mail you.
Heather- I used the pie recipe found here http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Beef-and-Bacon-Pie-L852.html – and used beef/pork mince mix that I got at the supermarket (wish I could just use beef but it is just way to expensive) but before I added the gravy sauce I drained the excess fat and patted it down with papertowel to drain some excess.
I didn`t put peas in though- instead used onion and mushroom and the gravy sauce I used was pepper. Also added a teaspoon of minced garlic for extra flavour. I am terrible at following recipes so while I used the one above as a guide, you can see I kind of went off it! LOL!
It is lovely when things arrive in the post isn’t it! Love the look of the crib and why is that girly?Men…honestly;) I am also very impressed with your sewing and so glad that you have a machine again now:)
Love you Laura, I am missing out on so much with you living in Japan during you pregnancy but your blog certainly helps me stay in the loop, I am so proud of your”crafty” stuff, obviously you picked up all that talent from your mother!!!! Remember when you got the sewing machine for you 10th birthday(I think) and I thought just giving you that would make you a wonderful seamstress, I didn’t take in the fact that you had a mother that couldn’t actually show you what to do.
take care.
MUM
Hey there!! I am loving your colors you picked out for the crib ensemble… yay for packages in the mail! Sorry I am late, late late– my thumb is been impeding my typing.
Marianne- My mum informed me that she used red for my brother (back then they didnt know if it would be a boy or a girl- I had yellow) and it suited a boy in the end. So hopefully goma-chan won`t mind. I have two other futon covers one is white with animals and the other is blue with what look to be bubbles…I will change it around a bit when they are in the wash (which I assume is fairly often! haha)
Thanks again for the rice! Don`t be too impressed with my sewing- I do not show the disasters!
Mum- Thanks for commenting- I know you are reading but it is great when you write a comment. While I didn`t take to sewing at age 10 I am definitely getting more into it now that I am older. Mandy (read first comment) remembers that birthday well. Us all crowded around a sewing machine not having a clue what to do. You sent me to sewing school and I made PJs- I remember that. We had to iron on a cat remember- to hide the hole I put in them with the scissors. HAHA
April Marie – Thank you! I had so much fun choosing it out. I am a huge fan of mail packages. Take it easy with your thumb- I cut myself with a rotary cutter today and it hurt like hell and it was only a nick- I imagine yours is a LOT worse (mind did warrant a band aid though! hehe)
It makes my life alot easier. You guys rock! I would like to personally thank you for your outstanding product.