Beauty Tuesday: November Favourites 2013

Here are my favourite beauty products from this month!

Aussie Take the Heat Shampoo & Deep Treatment

Toni & Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum

Clarisonic Plus

Nivea Lip Butter Caramel Cream

Rimmel Airy Fairy Lipstick

L'Oreal Top Coat Carat

...and my one non-beauty favourite, For Every Body Sugar Cookie Candle!

Check out the video here!

xoxo

Anna

Mommy Monday: 22 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

How far along? 22 weeks today!

Total weight gain/measurements: Weighed in at 133lbs this week so up 2lbs from last week.  That's a total of 18lbs gained since pre-pregnancy. Holy moly. But it definitely shows...this bump is way bigger than the last one! 

Maternity clothes: In this outfit, only the jeans are maternity but I do feel like I need to go shopping for some more tops as I'm running out of things that fit! 

Stretch marks? No new ones, although I do think my bellybutton ones from last time are looking more visible as the skin stretches!

Sleep: Perfectly fine. I still don't need a pregnancy pillow! This is amazing! 

Best moment this week: There was no specific "best moment", but feeling the baby kick & move more was my favourite part :)  

Miss anything? Not really.

Movement: Lots - and it's getting stronger everyday which is very comforting. I love feeling the baby move, it's such a bonding experience for me.

Food cravings: No but I'm definitely still liking savoury things over sweets.

Anything making you queasy or sick? My iron supplement is making me feel a bit queasy but I do take it in the morning so that's probably why. I also have quite low blood pressure especially when pregnant and had a dizzy spell this morning which was a bit scary. I just need to drink more water and eat regularly...it happened at about 9am when I was finishing up my makeup and I hadn't eaten since I'd woken up an hour prior.

Gender: Boy!

Labour signs: Nope!

Symptoms: Heartburn. I get it the most after I have soup, which is annoying because I love eating soup & bread for my lunch! My leg hair has stopped growing again like last time which is such an amazing bonus of being pregnant! My boobs are absolutely huge and I'm so sick of them already...ha ha. I actually had a very vivid and weird dream about breastfeeding recently. I was panicking because I hadn't breast fed in over 2 months and I didn't know if there would be any milk left for the new baby...it was so strange! 

Belly button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time: Moody this week, sorry! I am so emotional at the moment and everything is making me cry!

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving this week!

Check out my 22 week bump update from my last pregnancy here! 

xoxo

Anna

Fashion Friday: Warm Wool

Jumper/New Look Maternity, Leggings/Selected, Boots/London Rebel, Earrings/Orelia, Bracelets/Dyrberg Kern & Tiffany's, Necklace/Swarovski, Lipstick/Rimmel Airy Fairy

It's been so cold here this week, all I want to wear is wool! This outfit is particularly cosy & comfortable for the chilly weather, with the knitted jumper and wool leggings. I also love that although the leggings are not maternity, if I undo the zips at the sides it gives my bump room to grow! I feel like my belly at 21 weeks looks like it did last time at 28 weeks! It's huge! As much as this pregnancy is going by very quickly, sometimes I forget that I'm only just over halfway because of how much bigger I look and I expect to feel huge kicks & movements even though they are still quite faint & fluttery. It can be confusing!

I took these pictures by myself using the tripod as Jonathan was away all day and Emilia was down for a nap (not that she could have taken them...ha ha ha! I just thought I'd mention that!). What's cool about her nap schedule is that although she's only down to one hour and 1/2 nap a day, she is now going to bed an hour earlier. Which means more free time for mommy & daddy :) Woo hoo!

I hope you're all having a lovely Friday! I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving! 

xoxo

Anna

Autumn Leaf Cupcakes

Here is the third recipe from my Thanksgiving cupcake baking series - autumn leaf cupcakes! This is a chocolate lover's dream as it consists of a chocolate cupcake with chocolate cream frosting and the autumn leaves are made from melted chocolate chips! I'm not usually a big chocolate fan but I have to admit that these are pretty tasty as the cupcake isn't too sweet. (For reference I used Bournville Baking Cocoa.)

To make the chocolate cupcakes you will need:

2 cups plain flour

1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup hot water

2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

3/4 cup butter

1 and 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

To make the chocolate cream frosting you will need:

1/2 cup butter

3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted & cooled

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups icing sugar

3-4 tablespoons milk

For the leaf cut-outs I just used 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, melted.  To watch my full recipe video on how to make these click here! 

Hope you enjoy these cupcakes, let me know if you try them out!

xoxo

Anna

21 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

How far along? 21 weeks 1 day!

Total weight gain: 16lbs! Weighed in at 131lbs this morning.

Maternity clothes? All the time. Though the cardigan & top I'm wearing in these photos are not maternity!

Stretch marks? I actually have a funny/embarrassing story about stretch marks. So last week the itchy belly I was experiencing made me quite paranoid about developing new stretch marks and when I went looking for signs of them, I discovered some faint purple/blue-ish coloured ones on both sides of my belly. There seemed to be two on each side and were pretty symmetrical. Of course I was quite upset about it, just because I knew this was how they usually appear - first blue, then red-ish pink and then eventually they fade to white. Anyway, I went on a girls' weekend to a hotel with my two friends and while taking a shower I noticed that these "stretch marks" were actually running all the way up my body - right up my belly and onto my boobs!! I then realised that they were not stretch marks at all...they were veins! I felt so stupid...ha ha ha! Visible blue/purple veins are a pregnancy symptom, I think it's because of the increase in blood volume when you are pregnant however I didn't get that last time so I wasn't expecting it! 

Sleep: I was thinking about this recently...and have realised just how lucky I've been with sleeping comfortably this pregnancy. This is actually surprising given how soon I popped out this time! But I haven't even had to use any pregnancy/extra pillows yet and I know I was definitely using them by now in my first pregnancy. Right now I feel like I can sleep any position I want, even on my belly sometimes (though usually on my side is the most comfortable)!

Best moment this week: Spending a relaxing weekend at a hotel with my two other mommy friends...it was a welcome & long-awaited break!

Miss anything? Not really.

Movement: Yes! I'm still waiting for those big strong kicks but the flutters & little mini flips are definitely there.

Food cravings: No, those seem to have gone away.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope - still off coffee for the most part though!

Gender: BOY!

Labour signs: No.

Symptoms: My symptoms are really the same as last week's...a little heartburn, some hormonal acne, itchy belly, oh and now visible veins!!  

Belly button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Planning the nursery, shopping for boy clothes...lots of exciting things to come :)

xoxo

Anna

Maple Cornmeal Cupcakes with Maple Butter Frosting

The second recipe of my Thanksgiving cupcake baking series is for Maple Cornmeal Cupcakes with Maple Butter Frosting. I love anything corn related at Thanksgiving, whether it's cornbread or baked corn and my mom sometimes even bakes cornbread muffins which make for a delicious savoury treat! I wanted to incorporate cornmeal into at least one of my recipes and this one is perfect! I got the idea from Betty Crocker's Big Book of Cupcakes but made a few slight changes to the recipe.

To bake the cupcakes you will need:

1 and 1/2 cups plain flour

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

To make the maple butter frosting you will need:

4 cups icing sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 teaspoons maple syrup

3-4 tablespoons milk

Pecan halves for decorating

Watch my video on how to make them here!

As you can tell, Emilia loved them! :)

This recipe bakes 18 cupcakes. Unfortunately I am still sick so I can't taste them! Boo! That is the worst ever! But I'm told they are lovely - the texture is grainy like cornbread and I think this would be a perfect Thanksgiving treat! Please let me know if you try these and as always, tweet me your pictures or tag me on Instagram/Facebook if you do. 

xoxo

Anna

20 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

How far along? 20 weeks 1 day! I am officially halfway there!

Total weight gain: I'm sick with a horrible cold/sore throat so weighing in this morning was the last thing on my mind! I will update this info sometime this week ;)

Maternity clothes? Yes, although the t-shirt I'm wearing in this post is not maternity and it actually fits really well (for now, we'll see how far it can stretch!). It is actually one of our new Friendliest Friend t-shirts that go on sale very soon! Jonathan is working with a very talented graphic designer on getting the website up and running so I will let you know when it's finished.

Stretch marks? No new ones but my belly is soooo itchy! :( I am oiling it up every night in hopes that I don't get anymore.

Sleep: I know I'm not getting enough...going to bed too late and waking up too early is not really the best option for anybody! 

Best moment this week: Finding out the gender of our baby :)

Miss anything? Feeling well, I hate being sick! Other than that, no.

Movement: Yes - I feel movement on a daily basis now although it's still quite light and nothing too strong...no big kicks yet!

Food cravings: Nope, but I have been really hungry this week - or at least I was before I got this cold!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really, except I'm still not drinking half as much coffee as I used to. I will order a decaf Americano if we're out somewhere but I don't take one for breakfast anymore, or in the afternoon either which I used to do all the time!

Gender: We found out last Tuesday that we are having a BOY!!!!!! I can't believe it :) We are so thrilled even though I am a bit nervous at the same time...I don't know the first thing about boys! But I am looking forward to having one of my own!

Labour signs: No.

Symptoms: Bigger boobs (I'm back up to an E cup again...ahh!!) hormonal acne, heartburn, itchy bellybutton/belly! I remember this symptom from last time round and it was so irritating! I think it means that the skin around my bellybutton is stretching and you are not supposed to scratch as it can cause more stretchmarks but sometimes it gets unbearable! Like I said above, I have been using oils & creams to prevent them as much as possible. I also just got a call from my midwife this afternoon letting me know that my iron levels are low, so I have had to be put on an iron supplement. Hopefully this will help with my energy levels! 

Belly button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Shopping for our baby boy!!

Fashion Friday: A Little Insight

Cardigan/Gap, Tank Top/InWear or Part Two (can't remember!), Maternity Jeans/ASOS, Boots/LoveClothing, Earrings & Bracelets/Alex+Ani 

Here is the outfit that I wore to our doctor's appointment this Tuesday! I am absolutely loving my new Alex + Ani jewellery that I was given for my birthday. Although I generally tend to gravitate towards more silver/grey/black during the colder months I really wanted to incorporate these new pieces into a few autumn looks!  

Neither the cardigan nor the tank top in this look are maternity but I did wear this top all throughout my last pregnancy and it is actually quite long so I feel it works to cover the bump! The jeans are probably some of the most comfortable maternity skinnies I own...they are so stretchy and fit really well. 

As most of you know by now, we found out at our last scan that we are having a baby boy! We could not be happier and feel so blessed. I've been asked a lot about the name we've chosen for our baby and for various reasons I've decided to keep it private until after he is born. I feel like I share so much of my life with you guys and although I love to include you all in what I do, I also think it's important to keep certain things to myself. It is very hard when I constantly get judged for every single tiny thing I do...lately there have been some serious breaches into my private life and a small percentage of nasty people have crossed the line. When people write silly gossip or make up rumours on the internet, I know not to let it bother me as it doesn't affect my real life. However when certain attacks of this nature filter into my real life, this is when it becomes scary and I can honestly say that in recent weeks I have felt violated and harassed. So while I do want to continue to share with you guys, I need to be careful and also have to protect myself against nasty individuals out there who wish to cause me harm. I know that these people are in a very small minority but I do feel that this is one of the reasons I've decided to keep a couple of things private. Thank you so much for understanding...I truly appreciate all of your positive comments and support - I know that the majority of you are lovely people. I just felt I owed you guys an explanation and some insight into what's been going on. 

xoxo

Anna

Grey Day!

Cardigan/Vila (LoveClothing), Top/Vila, Maternity Jeans/ASOS, Boots/Dune

Another grey outfit for a grey day! If you can't already tell by the lighting, the weather has been rather gloomy & overcast lately so the colours in this look are quite fitting! Also don't mind the drool stain on my leg...this has become Emilia's trademark. She leaves little trails of drool and/or snot on my pants when she runs up to me and hugs my legs - ahh the glamour of motherhood! Ha ha ha...

This Vila cardigan is not maternity but it's so oversized & cosy that I've been getting a lot of use out of it lately. Underneath I'm wearing a basic black long-sleeve top (also non-maternity) and my ASOS grey maternity skinnies. The boots are what I like to call my "biker boots" even though they have never been anywhere near a motorbike ;) 

If you missed our gender reveal vlog, you can watch it here! We found out on Tuesday and we are both over the moon :) I can't even begin to explain how lucky and thankful we feel for this amazing blessing <3

xoxo

Anna

Harvest Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I am doing a seasonal cupcake baking series on my blog and YouTube channel where I will be sharing my favourite autumn/Thanksgiving recipes with you every Wednesday of this month! So here is my first delight, Harvest Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. This is a delicious recipe from Betty Crocker's Big Book of Cupcakes which you will love if you're a fan of apples & cinnamon! My husband Jonathan can't eat butter, so he just eats these without the frosting and he LOVES them! Even Emilia is obsessed :)

To make the cupcakes you will need:

1 and 1/2 cups caster sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 cups plain/all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups chopped cooking apples

1 cup mixed nuts (I use walnuts & pecans)

For the cream cheese frosting you will need:

8oz (226g) cream cheese

1/4 cup butter (softened)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 teaspoons whole milk

4 cups icing sugar

Watch my video on how to make them here! 

The recipe bakes 24 - I gave a dozen to my mom & sisters and am bringing another 1/2 dozen to my mommy group tomorrow! I hope you love these as much as we do! Let me know if you try them and be sure to tweet me your pictures or tag me on Instagram/Facebook!

xoxo

Anna

Birthday Haul!

I got some really gorgeous presents for my birthday this year. I am so grateful for every single one and got a lot of requests to share. So here it is - a little birthday haul :) Maybe it will give you some ideas for Christmas presents or your own wishlist! 

Clarisonic Plus in Pink Floral from my husband Jonathan

Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood Eye Palette from Jonathan

Alex + Ani bracelets from my sister

Alex + Ani earrings from my mom

Cute heart mug, sugar cookie candle (both from TK Maxx) and infinity scarf (Accessorize) from my other sister!

Cos bracelet from my mom

Beaded jewellery box from my mom

Ted Baker phone pouch from my lovely friend

Aqua dinner plates (TK Maxx) from my mom

Zara coat from my mom - we bought this together last week & I love it! 

Hope you enjoyed, and thank you so much for all the birthday wishes - both on here and on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram! 

xoxo

Anna

19 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2!

First off - apologies for the out-of-focus pictures, I took these with my DSLR using the timer and I couldn't get the focus right without a second person! Usually Jonathan is home to take my bump shots but he wasn't here today. And as you can see Emilia wanted to get in on the action too ;)

How far along? 19 weeks!  

Total weight gain: 13lbs total!  I weighed in at 128lbs this morning -- which is down 1lb from last week. 

Maternity clothes? All the time! 

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move for the first time :)

Miss anything? Not really!

Movement: Yes!! I think it happened the morning after I posted my last bump update  actually - I had been whinging to Jonathan about how I hadn't felt anything yet and to that he replied "I bet I can get it to move!" I was sceptical, but he started poking and jiggling my belly...then lo' and behold I felt a little kick! And another, and another...and another. The baby is still quite small (it's about the size of a mango) so it's not like I feel a lot of movement everyday and sometimes I don't even know if it's movement or just indigestion! But it was so reassuring to feel a few strong kicks :)  

Food cravings: No...how boring!

Anything making you queasy or sick: My stupid prenatals :( I hate them so much!! I don't remember them making me this sick last time. I've had to stop taking them in the morning but the downside to this is that I often forget to take them at all later on! 

Gender: We find out this week. I still think girl, although I have had a very vivid dream that it's a boy but I just have a feeling it's the opposite!

Labor signs: No.

Symptoms: Heartburn & hormonal acne.

Belly button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy :) 

Looking forward to: My next doctor's appointment!

Check out my 19 week bump update from my first pregnancy here!

xoxo

Anna

Birthday Outfit & Lovely Gifts!

Here's what I wore on my birthday! I had a wonderful day spent with my lovely family :) We went out to dinner tonight and I chose to wear this grey Vero Moda tunic dress which is not maternity but has always worked really well with a bump! I just tie the belt a little higher than it's meant to be and it makes my bump look like a present!  Underneath I'm wearing some Kate Thomas maternity leggings & matching tank top which are super comfortable. I've also been loving my black wedge boots lately, these Chinese Laundry ones just add a cute unique touch to any outfit...and they're really cosy too! I kept my accessories silver to match the greys in my outfit and wore my Swarovski heart necklace, Dyrberg Kern stainless steel and silver Tiffany's heart bracelet along with my Orelia hoop earrings. On my nails is Laqa & Co. Greedy Guts which I'm so disappointed with - it chipped almost straight away! :( And on my lips I have on Eyeko Liptastik Glossy Lip Pen in Lip Lover and Maybelline Superstay 10hr Stain Gloss in Forever Coral (this shows up more of a red than a coral). 

Jonathan did an amazing job of spoiling me once again this year - here were his presents! (Although Emilia said the palette was from her ;) 

I got the Clarisonic Plus in Light Pink Floral. This comes with both a sensitive face & body brush head, three different cleansers, a body polish and of course the charging cradle. I have wanted to try this for so long! I was really looking forward to using it tonight but unfortunately you have to charge it for 24 hours before you can do that...boo! I will let you know how I like it!

I also got the absolutely beautiful Bobbi Brown Old Hollywood Eye Palette which comes with nine different neutral shades...this is so pretty! I can't wait to try it out :) 

I will do a proper birthday haul post later on this week but for now good night, and I hope you all had a relaxing Sunday! 

xoxo

Anna