What a difference a year makes

WARNING - THIS POST CONTAINS IMAGES THAT MAY MAKE YOU DEPRESSED

I notice that the NYIGF is on again, and it's almost inconceivable that a year ago I was tripping the light fantastic in New York, all by myself, shopping up a storm, researching business ideas, buying homewares, lights, tiles, taps, furnishings (ok and clothes), and generally having the time of my life.

Back home I only had two kids, one husband, a partially renovated house and bucket loads of enthusiasm for the decorating project at hand. Oh, and need I mention I was 14kg lighter!

My how things change. Here's a snapshot of my life as it stands today.

Mountains of washing and ironing.....

A dining table that's an office/sewing room/ dumping ground for everything....

Decorating decisions that haven't progressed in months.....

Kids' stuff everywhere.....

Kids' bedrooms that look like.....

...well, kids' bedrooms I guess.

Clothes and crap piled high everywhere....

And me sporting a very unglamorous, distinctly unsexy, definitely unfashionable, positively matronly, Jersey cow-like shape still in Target Maternity wear and neck to knee Spanx! Oh how the mighty fall!

It was bitter sweet watching A-M report back daily during her trip to the BlogHer Fest in New York recently, and I looked at the achingly gorgeous images she posted of New York and the Hamptons with one eye closed and my breath held. I so wanted to see, but on the other hand it was like sticking hot needles in my eyes, the agony and the ecstasy, that burning desire to be there and experience it all again. Instead I'm peeling another old breast pad off my bum having sat down to feed this little person, who wasn't here last year, and in fact wasn't even a twinkle in anybody's eye, let alone my husband's!

So to recap and to remind myself that there is life after and between children, that I did it all before and I'll do it all again, here's what I was doing not 12 months ago....

Strolling the streets of NYC with a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

Taking in the glory that is bathroom shops in the US. This one Ann Sacks.

The beautiful central staircase in the Ralph Lauren flagship store

Swooning over the stunning window displays.

Celebrity spotting. I sat behind Danny de Vito on the plane across the US, so I tried to be subtle taking this shot while I walked behind him through the airport.

My hotel, the fabulous London Hotel NYC.

The Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the foyer.

Planning my shopping every day.

The sights.

The shops.

The shopping.

Ralph Lauren Kids.

The NY International Gift Fair.

Love Matouk.

My tour guide, the gorgeous Matthew Frederick, ID.

Heavenly bathroom shops are tile nirvana.

The amazing D&D building.

The Lilly Pulitzer showroom

Wallpaper samples in the Schumacher showroom

The doll shop at FAO Schwarz

Pottery Barn

Gracious Home

Doll shopping at American Girl.

Restoration Hardware.

So hard to choose from all the beautiful bed linen.

Just love Gracious Home stores.

Back at the gift fair.

No contest!

Revisit my posts from last year's New York and LA trip here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Images by Melinda Hartwright