I really really want him to be a redhead. I love gingers and have long thought they were vastly superior to all other hair hues. They’re a bit different, stand out from the crowd, look fantastic in green – what’s not to love?! I contemplated dying my hair red for years until I met Jim and still toy with the idea every time I discover a new grey hair – something that seems to be happening with alarming frequency at the moment.

Anyway – here’s my round-up of Red Hot Reds for your viewing pleasure…

Julianne Moore

Love this picture as you can see her freckles...

The one, the only, the best. I love everything about this woman, her hair is the tip of a very perfect iceberg…

Damian Lewis

My kingdom for a green pen...

Never really saw this until Homeland if I’m honest. Now I see it in full turncoat technicolour.

Emma Stone

Stone cold gorgeous...

Gorgeous, funny, husky voice. Spoke for millions of women when she uttered the immortal ‘photoshopped’ line to Ryan Gosling.

Eric Stoltz

Chiselled

Because of this film.

Michael Fassbender

With looks like that we can almost forgive him for X-Men: First Class...

It’s Fassbender. Do you really need an explanation?

Adele

Beautiful...

Currently sporting a traitorous blonde ‘do’. But still red hot nonetheless…

Eddie Redmayne

Lovely sweater Edward...

All about the lips. And the freckles.

Benedict Cucumberpatch

Please note Mrs Lister does not condone smoking. No matter how hot you are.

Bringing sexy back to Baker Street. Elementary my dear reader.

Christina Hendricks

Va, va, vooooooom...

We love you Joanie.

Prince Harry

His Royal Hotness. I can't believe I just typed that.

Yes I’m going there. No I don’t care what you think.

Do you agree? Have I missed anybody out? Do share if so…

I remember about 7 years ago somebody sending me a photograph of a hot ginger man. I’d emailed and asked her for it because said hottie and I had been exchanging flirty emails and I wanted to put a face to the name. I had no idea, during the e-flirting, that he was a red head so you can imagine my delight when I opened that jpeg attachment.

Reader, I married him…

;)

Have a lovely long weekend

Mrs L xx

Please excuse me whilst I have a quick rant.

I read an article in the Evening Standard on Thursday night that bloody infuriated me. Here – have a read yourself before continuing: Show your best smug face to the online world

Finished? Right – here’s why this article – and countless other diatribes, moans and general negativity about social media – piss me off.

Social media is SOCIAL – so you’re always going to get people sharing things you might not a: be interested in or b: wish to see. That’s because we all value things differently, we’re all going through vastly different life experiences and we are all, every single one of us, DIFFERENT.

Do I want to read about little Johnny’s first solo poo in his potty? Not really. But to his mum and dad that is likely an achievement on a par with me single handedly winning the social media contract for Burberry whilst drunk at a house party, or being asked to quit my job and become chief cheese taster at Neals Yard Dairy  - it’s A BLOODY BIG DEAL.

And should the poo stories become a bit too much – illustrated by an image, perhaps – then I would do what any other sensible person would and either unsubscribe (Facebook) or unfollow (Twitter). I choose who to be friends with, who to follow and who to engage with across the multitude of social media channels I frequent. If I’m not enjoying that experience then I only have myself to blame.

IT’S NOT THAT HARD NOW IS IT?!

As for the ‘smug’ comments – again this is all relative to the individual. I do not find pictures of people’s children smug – I find them cute. But I’m pregnant. Of course I find them cute. If I were struggling to have children, single and massively uninterested or simply too young to appreciate it then I would likely find them either upsetting, boring or annoying. And I would – as mentioned earlier – either unfollow or unsubscribe.

Now don’t get me wrong – I think people who photoshop their images before uploading (aside from red eye tweaking) are saddos of the highest order, but if they want to only present the best possible image of themselves – and then wonder why people recoil in horror when meeting them in real life – let’s just leave them to it. As long as no young girls are idolising them a la Vogue, Elle or any other bastion of photoshopping unreality I don’t think they’re hurting anybody are they?

People need to chill out about social media. We’re all doing what we’ve always done – putting our ‘best foot forward’ – we’re just doing it via an infinitely greater number of channels.

And don’t get me started on the irony of people taking to Facebook to moan about Facebook. That’s another blog post for another day… ;)

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs L xxx

Let's hope our son takes after his dad. What a cutie!

… we’ll find out on or around August 30th :)

Mini Lister passed his first test with flying colours today. In fact, the only area of concern was when the lovely sonographer told us he was ‘a big baby – right up at the top of the scale’.

Oooooof.

*crosses legs*

Mrs L xx

Our new house!

Two weeks today Jim and I will say goodbye to our lovely 1 bed Clapton flat and HELLO to our beautiful new home – a 3 bedroom house in Leytonstone, E11. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am – it feels like we’re starting a brand new chapter in our lives and I can’t wait to get into the house and start ‘nesting’!

We’re quite fortunate in that we’ve lived in unfurnished flats since we first moved in together 6 years ago so have a nice collection of furniture. This means that the only things we urgently needed to buy were a washing machine, fridge freezer and hoover! I bought the white goods from Appliances Online because Ben from their team got in touch with me last year and asked me to write about their services in exchange for a smelly candle. And I do love a smelly candle!

Seriously though – Ben’s blogger outreach campaign – which involved sending various fridges/cookers etc to parent bloggers in need – really stuck with me. It was a lovely idea that generated a lot of positive word of mouth and I remember telling him so at the time. Anyway – when it came to buying our washing machine and fridge freezer Appliances Online was my first port of call – I think that’s a pretty good example of the power of good blogger outreach! And I should know!

Let’s hope they don’t f*ck up delivery now, eh? ;)

Anyway – those were probably the two biggest things we needed to buy so I’m happy we’ve ticked them off the list.

But BLOODY HELL have I still got a long shopping list – of non-urgent stuff, granted – for the house. My main priority when we get in there is to get the sodding shower up. Unbelievably the lovely couple we’re buying from have suffered with one of those showers that sits on a cradle just above the taps. IT’S NOT EVEN ATTACHED TO THE WALL!!

*hyperventilates*

Luckily my lovely friend Simon has a drill and a VERY LARGE toolbox and knows how to use it (fnar fnar). Simon and I have a mutual love of B&Q so I’m hoping he’ll accompany me and we can spend a good hour browsing the aisles for the requisite ‘part’. I actually plan on buying myself a nice drill so I can start doing DIY type stuff myself (I love it, weirdo that I am) but the shower is an emergency and cannot wait. The thought of having to ‘sit-down shower’ fills me with terror, quite frankly.

So yeah, apart from the shower there isn’t really anything urgent we need to buy for the house. I think we’ll wait till we get in there and then start decorating room by room as and when. I reckon I’ll have about 3 months before I’m too big to ‘move’ properly and therefore decorate in comfort, so the nursery needs to be a priority. I already have a million things pinned to my ‘baby board‘ for inspiration and am quite excited about the thought of Jim and I decorating it together. Woohoo!

We’ve got our 20 week scan on April 16th and after that I’m going to start thinking seriously about researching ‘baby stuff’ although to be honest I don’t really know where to start! I’m very VERY fortunate that my lovely friend Sian is sending us an amazing Stokke Xplory and Mycarrier which means two of the most potentially expensive items can be crossed off the list (I am IN LOVE with Stokke products – Scandinavian design at it’s best – and can’t wait to get my hands on them!!) so I suppose the next on the list would be nursery furniture?

What do you really NEED for a newborn? It can’t be that much, surely? I would hazard a guess at the following:

• Car seat – we don’t have a car but I’m sure we’ll be getting into one at some point (not least on the way home from the hospital) and I’ve been told it’s a necessity. Maybe get this from a ‘nearly-new’ NCT sale?
• Cot – but do I get a normal cot or one that turns into a bed for when he/she is a toddler?
• Changing table – no brainer
• Thing to put in the bath – rather than specific ‘baby bath’.
• Babygros – lots of.
• Nappies – see above
• Muslin cloths – see above
• More nappies!

Have I missed anything?!

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs L xxx

Caitlin Moran recently did a shout out on Twitter asking people to send in the one thing they ‘wished women would stop worrying about’

I responded and as a result was asked to contribute a blog post to her How To Be A Woman website.

You can read it HERE

Have a lovely week

Mrs L xx

Alessandra Ambrosio. Picture on the right taken 3 hours after giving birth. Probably.

I miss my daily commute. Not the one sat on a bus for 1hr 15 mins with myriad smelly people – the one I have been suffering since early February – no, I miss the one where it’s just me, my bike, and several hundred fellow cyclists, pedestrians, taxi drivers, bus drivers and white van men.

You see I used to love my 10 mile round-trip cycle to work but as soon as I found out I was pregnant I stopped enjoying it. Why? Because of the several hundred fellow cyclists, pedestrians, taxi drivers, bus drivers and white van men. I don’t trust them. They make me paranoid, hesitant and nervous: the worst kind of person you want operating any kind of vehicle on the busy roads of London – be it fuelled by pedal power or petrol.

I got to about 8 weeks pregnant and threw the towel in.

Anyway – one thing you’re told time and time again when you’re in the early stages of pregnancy is that continuing with your excersise regime is very important (within reason obviously). A fit mother makes for an easy birth and, according to this article in the New York Times, it also makes for a healthier baby. Bonus for everybody then.

So what to do to replace my much-loved cycle? Swimming has been recommended by many but I’ve never been a big fan as I don’t like putting my head under water – something I’m sure you’ll all agree is a *slight* hindrance when stuck in a massive pool of deep water. Running was out of the question as my boobs were – and indeed still are – fiery globes of agony. I looked into pre-natal pilates but the only class I fancied attending – at Frame in Shoreditch – was at 8am on a Tuesday morning which would leave me an impossible 30 mins to get into work. And they won’t let me attend any of their other pilates classes as ‘the teacher might not be trained in pre-natal pilates’ (quite surprising this – surely they all are?).

So I have come up with my own ‘three-pronged’ approach – I shall be doing the following, from Monday onwards:

• Walking to work – not the full 5 miles (yet) but from Angel in Islington to work which is around 2.3 miles. As I’m a member of fab commuter gym H2 Bike Run I can walk in and then shower/get ready for work there.
• Pilates once per week at my gym – apparently the teacher there is more than capable of handling pregnant women, thankfully
• Pregnancy yoga DVD – two mornings per week and once at the weekend. I bought this DVD from Amazon after reading great reviews so I’m hoping it’ll be good. Stay tuned…

Anyway – I’m hoping the combination will be enough to replace the regular exercise I was getting on my bike.

13 weeks in and I’ve put on 1kg (which horrified me until a friend pointed out it was only 2.2lbs – thanks Frankie) but I was holding some extra ‘Christmas’ weight beforehand anyway so I’m not exactly jumping for joy. I am fully prepared for the inevitable ‘balloon’ stage post 6 months but to be honest this is far more about my well being than my weight. I used to get into work buzzing with energy after my cycle and I miss the feeling, quite frankly.

I’ll keep you posted as to whether that feeling returns.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs L xxx

Lovely cakes made by my friend Isa to celebrate the news!

This is a blog post I’ve been dreaming about writing for the past 18 months but guess what?

We’re having a baby.

Lots of emotions raging at the moment – being able to tell people after EIGHT OF THE LONGEST WEEKS IN HISTORY is a rather massive relief, I keep on dreaming about my mum and am really, really missing her. A daughter should really have her mum around to share something like this and I’m feeling it more than I expected to.

However – I have a group of the most amazing friends, strong support from both mine and Jim’s family, a lovely bunch of work colleagues and a great network of parent bloggers who I can always tap up for advice should it all become a bit too much.

And obviously I’m married to the best man on planet earth.

So I’m really quite lucky when you think about it.

Here’s to a happy and healthy 6 months… roll on August 30th! :)

Mrs L xxx

Pinterest

Hello, my name is Kerry Jean Lister and I’m a Pinaholic.

From my new house moodboard to things that make me smile, fashion and frippery to musical inspirations - my web experience has become a much richer, visually inspiring one. I could (and indeed do) spend hours on there.

Gregory Porter

An amazing vocalist with a voice that reminds me of Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers, Gregory Porter’s second album is released on Valentine’s Day and YOU REALLY NEED TO BUY IT. Beautiful, soulful music with a jazz edge, he’s a big man with an even bigger voice. The first album featured amazing songs such as like 1960 What and Illusion, the new one brings us gems like Be Good (Lion’s Song) and Real Good Hands. Music to make you smile.

Lancashire Black Bomb

Anyone who knows me knows I love cheese. And this, my friends, is a KING AMONGST CHEESES. Andrew Shorrock is the fourth generation of his family to create this ball of deliciousness at his farm in Goosnargh and you can taste the heritage. It is simply divine. Scoop it out with a spoon, spread it on crackers or simply enjoy it on it’s own. It will change your life.

Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap

When Jim and I went travelling back in 2009 we spent a few weeks in California and it was in the golden state that I first came across this miracle product. I loved it so much I bought one of the HUGE 32 0z bottles and proceeded to lug it around with me until it ran out – somewhere in the middle of Peru – 2 months later. It can be used as a shower gel (my primary use for it now), detergent, shampoo, toothpaste, shaving gel – apparently there are 18 uses in total although I only found the need for a few whilst on my travels. I’m a Peppermint girl but you can also buy it in Almond, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Rose and Tea Tree. They also do a mild version for your little one. It’s cheap as chips too at around £12 for the 32 oz which will easily last you a couple of months. Recommended!

Benefit ‘They’re Real’ Mascara

Looking for the perfect mascara? Buy this. If you don’t like it I will give you your money back (in exchange for the unused mascara, obviously). £18.50 well spent.  Shout out to the lady at the Benefit counter in Boots Piccadilly Circus who got me in a headlock and forced me to buy it.

Eva Wiseman

Her column in The Observer magazine is one I look forward to every week. She’s a smart, sassy feminist who can write with knowledge and intelligence about Mumsnet, pregnant celebrities, adult girl crushes and moisturising lip colour. I love her.

Seth Casteel

Because he takes pictures of dogs. AMAZING pictures of dogs. And dogs are the best thing ever.

Not Another Bill

Stuck for an idea for Valentine’s Day? Boyfriend’s birthday coming up? I recommend you head over to Ned’s amazing website and have a browse. The premise behind the website is thus ‘wouldn’t it be nice to get something in the post that was not another bill?’. You can sign up yourself or treat a loved one to a subscription to receive a beautifully wrapped, specially curated surprise present through the post each month. Presents are sourced from far and wide with the aim of introducing you to great brands, artists and designers, rare treats and finds from markets and fairs. Who wouldn’t want that?! I bought a 3 month subscription for my cousin and my best friend recently and am sure I’ll buy more in the future. Such a simple, brilliant idea.

Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy

This one is an aquired taste and ‘surreal’ doesn’t really do it justice. It’s Monty Python on acid trapped in a Salvador Dali painting. There’s a sports teacher who is also a chocolate finger, a tutting mountain, a manta ray music producer who lives in a fish tank, the ghost of a flea and a bloke with a shell for a head. It’s not for the faint hearted. I love it. Welcome back Noel!

Jacket, Pocket

He’s only 21 and isn’t a father yet but if the above is anything to go by he’ll do a damn fine job of it.

Cornflakes

With ice cold milk. I rediscovered them recently and have taken to eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m in danger of developing a 6 bowl a day habit…

Shocking

Whitney Houston RIP

Whitney was the soundtrack to my youth. She gave us 10 amazing years and then lost her way via crack cocaine and Bobby Brown. One of the most naturally talented female vocalists of our generation. Rest in peace Whitney.

Unilad.com

“If the girl you’ve taken for a drink… won’t spread for your head, think about this mathematical statistic,” wrote Unilad on their (now closed) website recently, “85% of rape cases go unreported. That seems to be fairly good odds.”

I have no words.

Racism

One of the biggest problems with the internet is that it exposes you to the kind of small minded fuckwittery you would, under normal circumstances, be able to avoid. But in the age of Twitter the idiots have a loudhailer and they are using it to devastating effect. Footballer Micah Richards left Twitter recently due to the barrage of racist abuse he was receiving. Stan Collymore highlighted the problem of racism on Twitter in January when he favourited a selection of racist Tweets triggered by the Evra/Suarez case sent by armchair idiots who seem to think they can hide behind the safety of a computer screen. And you know what the main problem is? They CAN hide behind the safety of a computer screen. Apparently on Twitter you’re not allowed to make a bad joke about blowing an airport up but you are allowed to racially abuse someone. Bravo.

Print clash trend

Display at TopShop. Image courtesy of Blink London.

MAKE. IT. STOP.

Have a great Sunday.

Mrs L xx

Oooh it’s the first time I’ve ever done a ‘meet and greet’ post – and what a great event to be doing it for!

I’m honoured that Sian has asked me to speak at CybHer and can’t wait to meet my fellow blogging ladies for a good old gossip and the odd pint of wine *cough*.

Anyway – this is me:

I don't look that much different. Honest.

Twitter ID : @kerryjeanlister
Height : 5’5″ (just)
Hair : Same hairstyle I’ve had since I was 3 – long, dark, fringe.

Five things you should know about me…
1. My husband can’t quite get over the fact he is married to a Northerner and still – after nearly 7 years – takes the piss out of my accent.
2. I take pictures of my food. All the time. Witness our holiday snaps of San Sebastian.
3. I am a member of CAMRA and love good pint of ale.
4. I love social media and feel very very fortunate that I am able to do it ‘for a living’
5. I used to DJ quite regularly and still dust off the vinyl for the occasional birthday, wedding and bar mitzvah.

You can find out more about me by reading this blog or following me on Twitter but I think for now that’s a pretty good snapshot ;)

If you would like to join in the Cybher Meet and Greet, do a post and add it to the Linky here. See you in May!

Mrs L xx

If you already have your ticket make sure you grab your badge here.

Image borrowed from Success Warrior 

I think I have.

I used to update this blog at least once per week but just recently I’ve been struggling. I think I know the reasons – there are some big events coming up in my life that I can’t talk about yet for fear of jinxing them – but there should be OTHER things I can talk about other than how unbelievably excited I am about our amazing potential new house surely?

What’s wrong with me?!

I can’t really call it writers block because that elevates me to the upper echelons of writers who do it ‘properly’ and I would never be so bold.

Is it a time thing? All of my blog posts take at least two/three hours to write and require a good amount of concentration – you’ll notice most of my recent posts were on a weekend when I have the luxury of time – so maybe the thought of writing a new post is just too exhausting? (Poor me etc etc)

OR – is it because I spend so much sodding time on Pinterest posting up pictures onto my ‘new house moodboard’ that I’m not really allowed to talk about for fear of jinxing it that I haven’t got time to blog!?

Have you ever lost your blogging mojo? And if so, how did you get it back?

Answers on a postcard please…

Mrs L xx

PS – if ANYBODY could tell me how to get my sodding images to centre I would be a very happy blogger. I have tried everything – including checking html – to no avail!! Grrrrr….