House (and life) update...

 

I realise I haven't been stopping around here much lately.  The days seem to be getting busier and busier and I've been finding it increasingly difficult to slow down and record things here.  I haven't been picking up the camera, my sewing machine has been sitting idle in the corner gathering dust, and while I've still been busy creating in the kitchen I can't be bothered blogging about it before we've eaten!  So here is a readers digest version of the last few weeks, for those of you who are interested:

The Mr turned 30.  Celebrations were had - I made ice-cream cake.

The kids are as crazy as ever.  Highlights (or should I say lowlights?) include Minty giving herself a haircut and smashing her head through a window (thankfully the curtain broke her fall and she was unhurt).  Meanwhile, Turi learned to climb out of his cot and is now refusing to nap during the day.  

I decided to make my health a priority and started getting up at dawn to try and squeeze a walk in before the kids get up.  I know a few other mums who swear by this strategy.  Sadly Turi got wind of my early morning absence and started getting up earlier and earlier so as not to miss out.  After a series of 4am starts I eventually gave up and abandoned my pursuit of a healthier lifestyle.  I am back to consuming excessive amounts of chocolate and caffeine in order to combat the haze of sleep deprivation.  

I've started packing for our move.  We're hoping to be in our new house some time in May.  I'm finally beginning to understand what people mean when they say they 'hate moving'.  The last time we moved was about 6 years ago and we had hardly any 'stuff'.  This time around it is a very different story.  So far it has taken me three days to pack the contents of one bookshelf.  Kids certainly are the antidote to efficiency.

Things are moving along steadily with the house.  I finally bought tiles for the bathroom floor.  I ended up going with natural stone to tie in with the rustic vibe of the oversized timber window.  I love the unique variations in every tile and can't wait to see them laid.  As an added bonus they were a total bargain at only $28 a square meter!

 

This is the half wall that partitions off the shower in the kids bathroom with the vanity in front.

 

There is now a bulkhead above the space  where the bath will sit.  This neatly resolves the join between the plasterboard and the oversized window frame, as well as helping to define the space.

 

The plaster board is up in most of the house.  Plastering the high ceiling in the kitchen was a gargantuan effort - a special thanks to everyone who helped out!

Here is a peek at our pantry door (the white door near Minty).  It was reclaimed from a historic house on the island and dates from the 1920s.  I love the character it adds to this space.  It does need a little TLC and a new coat of paint (I'm thinking glossy black) but it already looks gorgeous, especially at night with only the pantry light on so that the little window panes glow.

 

Left: This is the entry - the Mr cut a 'man hole' in the plaster board where the door will be!  Right: Looking into the multi-purpose (office/sewing) room.

 

This is Turi's room.  My claw foot bath had a nasty accident and needs one of its feet reattached!

 

The lounge room - we still need to build the stairs joining this to the lower level.

Finally you can clearly see the variation in ceiling heights.  We are still considering further defining the space by adding a dropped timber ceiling above the dining table to make it feel a bit more intimate.