Can you watch this and *not* cry? I dare ya...

Goose bumps

...every time...

Happy Friday!

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The Birth Post

I'm not even sure how to find the words to describe childbirth. The helpless feeling of having to endure wave after wave of the full effects of the almighty force in your body can feel extraordinarily frightening. For a short time, though it seemed like an eternity, I felt like a caged animal as I struggled to manage the hideous levels of pain at the peak of labour, coupled with the exhaustion of staying awake for such a long period. 

But then....

But then......

Our darling daughter Sophie was born

and delivered straight into my outstretched arms.

Warm, wet and adorable.

The memory of it makes me want to cry.

Safe.

Soft.

Healthy.

Loved.

Who could truly ask for any more?

To see her sweetly innocent face, 

newly emerged, 

staring up at us, 

formed out of our love for each other:

my love for her daddy,

and his incredible love for me,

was the best moment of my life.

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The Pregnancy Post

 It was a loooong wait but she's here!

My gorgeous Sophie.

So let's stop for a moment and 

take a stroll back over the last nine months, 

shall we?

See my tummy growing...

and growing...

and growing....

and growing!

Quite, quite enormous.

Who'd have thought that 

this gorgeous girl 

was hiding in there all that time? 

A complete miracle, if you ask me.

Now, do we know one another 

well enough yet for a Birth Post....?!

;-)

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Emma Bridgewater Mug Winners...

It's time to announce the winners of the 

Emma Bridgewater Mugs Giveaway....

plucked at random from a metaphorical hat....

katekateg

{Starry Skies mug}

and

Helen

{Black Toast mug}

Congratulations, girlies.

I'll be sending you an email in a mo...

Next week, I'll be getting back to normal....

kicking off with a bit more Sophie-loveliness

{please indulge me...}

and then bang on track with our

Decorating The Girls' Bedroom

series...

Have an awesome Friday!

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Meet Our Baby.....

We've spent this week welcoming 

our gorgeous baby girl to the world.

{9lbs 6oz of loveliness.}

Meet

Sophie Eloise:

We are completely and utterly besotted.

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Emma Bridgewater Mugs Giveaway

Welcome to my 

lovely, lovely, lovely 

worldwide giveaway, 

{which will be open for two weeks only}. 

In honour of Fathers' Day,

I {very} proudly present to you

a gorgeous giveaway from

Emma Bridgewater.

Here is the lady herself...

and is it just me or is that exactly the kind of dresser 

you want to have a good nose around?

They've super-generously offered two of their covetable mugs for YOU.

Yes, you!

Emma Bridgewater mugs are chunky and curvaceous. 

They feel and look utterly Modern Country.

Two lucky winners 

will be plucked at random.

One will win one of these brilliant mugs 

from the Black Toast range.

{The writing says 'Dad's like to sleep in front of the telly...my dad loves toy shops and racing on Saturdays' and inside 'Stripey Shirts...Kind And Strong'}

And the other will win the Starry Skies Daddy mug.

Aren't they completely luscious?

This giveaway is open worldwide to ALL

followers of Modern Country Style, 

{new and old}

If you'd like to be picked as a winner 

then leave a comment letting me know

how you subscribe to Modern Country Style.

For additional entries, 

blog, Tweet or Facebook 

about this giveaway, 

and let me know in the comments.

 Easy,  huh?

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Modern Country Style Loves Emma Bridgewater Mugs

It's YOU!

HOORAY!

And how are you feeling?

This post is to act as a little taster of the awesome giveaway, 
which will be up 

THIS MONDAY.
Excited? I should coco.

I LOVE Emma Bridgewater pottery.
The wholesome chunkiness.
The hand-finished pattern.
The reassuring quality.

And how's this for a quote from Emma Bridgewater herself?

Women are under such terrible pressure these days to be sex bombs and great chefs and good gardeners and fabulous parents and do their bit in the boardroom, that sometimes the only thing to do is sit down with a friend and a nice cup of coffee and create an oasis in the day....

Don't you just love that?

Oooh, look at those shapely mugs.

Do you like them? 
Do you want them?

I have a secret for you, my pretties. 

You're in luck!

Boogie on by on Monday. 

I think you'll have a big smile on your face....

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Romancing The Queen

Of all the photo-wizardry that I've seen over the Jubilee

this of the Queen and Prince Philip is by far and away my favourite.

In fact, it made me cry. 

{probably the pregnancy hormones talking...but still...}

I find long marriages the most romantic thing in the world.

Consistent, steadfast, committed love.

Faithfulness during temptation.

Devotion through hard times.

Triumph in the face of adversity.

What could be more swoon-worthy?

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The Jubilee Ethos

Hey there, sweets,

We're having the most wonderful Jubilee weekend.

Yesterday, we went to a street party.

{The Queen said she would have been there 

but was having a slightly busy day.}

Singing 'Rule Brittania', 

waving our Union Jack flags, 

sheltering under pushed-together gazebos from the steady drizzle,

whilst children played,

and grown-ups laughed, 

encapsulates all that I completely adore about being British.

Today, I'm over at the Relics of Witney blog, talking about their year-round Jubilee ethos. If you're yearning for a shop that listens to their customers, gives fantastic and individual advice, stocks a huge array of home-related delights and is an absolute pleasure to lazily browse around then come and have a look.. 

I'll be posting over there on the first of every month.

I'd love you to come and join me...

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