Home life

I can't explain just how much I'm in love with our new house - the space, oh the space!! It's only now that I am realising how much we were all living on top of each other in the old unit. Slowly, slowly the spaces are coming together.
My bedroom is almost, almost just how I imagine it to be....

My bedroom would have been the lounge room in the house in it's pre-extension days so I have a closed up fireplace & mantle in my room which I adore!! I have absolutely no idea on how I want it to look though :-( At the moment it's adorned with a clock, simple framed photo of Charley and a few candles. I have definitely been on pinterest trying to get some ideas!!

The oven in our old house was ok - I learnt to live with it but it wasn't great. It was too hot or not hot enough and never seemed to cook evenly but you really can get used to anything. The new oven though....oh the new oven....I'm in love!! It's big enough to fit my cookie tray in (a new experience!!) and cooks beautifully. So far I've been baking the usual suspects - roasts, cookies & cupcakes but I'm really keen to expand my skills and try some new recipes. The first thing out of my oven was a roast chook - gorgeously browned, juicy and the veges were delish too.

Kids are great as usual - I'm really loving having them home for the holidays. No uniforms, no lunchbox to pack, no school runs - yes PJ days, yes sleep ins, yes walking to the park/shops/library, yes movie nights and yes to loud radios, singing and dancing in the lounge room!!

Fun times!!

Love. Breathe. Unpack. Laugh

We are now officially all moved in. The boxes, cartons, baskets and bags are all moved from our old unit which has also been cleaned to within an inch of its life!! Moving is not something I enjoy doing and I hope that I won't have to do it again for a long, long, long time!!

We are finding out that there are all sorts of quirks in living in a house that is older than my grandmother!! We are all totally loving it though - the sunlight, the space, the garden - just the general character of our cottage has been something that we are loving exploring!! The number of boxes is slowly dwindling as we unpack and find places for everything.

My favourite space in the house would have to be our lounge room - I love the natural light and heat that comes through from mid-morning through to the late afternoon. It's lovely being able to sit on the couch and read a magazine while watching the kids play outside.

I'm loving our Jasper couch in this room too - the chair up the top of the step is our 'reading' chair which has been good for home readers and school work. I love that the modular design means I can change things around whenever I feel like it! I've got a few other arrangements in mind that I'll be trying out over the next few months.

When I asked the smalls they had the same answer for their favourite space in the house.....

We've had quiet a few trips to Bunnings to get new swings/trapeze bars etc but it's been so lovely to see them outside, getting along (most of the time!!) and away from 'screen' time. On the screen issue our new home does not have a television aerial so at the moment we aren't able to watch telly - while my dad is horrified I'm actually enjoying it. The radio is on most of the day and I am finding that I am far more productive without the lure of the box.  

Packing/unpacking has also meant quite a few trips to the Salvos as we try and declutter but on my last trip there I dropped off a few boxes and came home with a chair. My sister saw it first and demanded I get it for Izaak - while it did take some re-arranging to get it to fit in the car with 2 adults and 3 children I'm glad I listened to her because he does love it. Secretly, so do I!!!

These times they are a changin'

So much change is happening in my life and that of my little family at the moment!! We are leaving the cosy unit that we've called home for four and a half years now to move into a cute three bedroom cottage about 5 minutes away from where we are now. The kidlets are very excited about having their own rooms and a backyard which includes monkey bars, slide, swing, sandpit and the best bit (well according to the kids anyway!!) is the cubbyhouse in the corner of the yard. This is our new humble abode....

I'm excited and motivated at the moment - both to declutter what we've got here in the process of the move and in the challenge of turning the four walls of our new 'house' into 'our home'. I've just bought two books about handmade and making and decorating homes through handmade. Nervous would be the best description about how I'm feeling about the yard/garden though - I'm definitely not a green thumb (in fact purple would be a better colour description!!!). In fact, I don't even own any gardening equipment - no spades, shovels or mowers in my shed so I'm about to embark on a whole new adventure! Wish me luck!!

A day at the park

We are thoroughly enjoying the school holidays - staying in pj's, chocolate and ice cream for breakfast, long snuggles and many movies have all been features so far!!

We decided to take advantage of some gorgeous weather and head off to the park yesterday - and I'm so glad we did as today was an awful day weather wise!!. I decided to take my camera and see if I could get some nice pics of the smalls. I'm really happy with the results!!

This is my absolute favourite pic of Izaak - we had lots of fun and a fair amount of laughter getting these shots!!

And this one would be my fave pic of the little miss - she is so cheeky!!

Nighty night

Remember a while ago when I posted about my new bedroom furniture? It arrived a few weeks ago but after our recent trip to Sydney (with the obligatory IKEA trip!!) it has all come together.

I was torn between two different settings but was sold once the lovely salesman told me that the other one was made in China and the suite that I chose was Australian made down in Victoria. Anyway, this is my new room!!!

I *love* all the storage - apart from all the shelves at the back of my bed I've also got this brilliant shelf at the end. Target recently had 30% off all storage so I took advantage and got these great baskets which now hold a heap of essential bits & pieces.

I love the unique look of my bedroom - it's not like anything I've ever seen before and I love that it's mine, all mine!!

The new suite also means that the large white wall which used to be full of yarn and a large chest of drawers with a mirror is now empty. Add a new, bright spotlight which was initially purchased for my reading and the new blank wall has suddenly become a very appealing shadow puppet theatre.

This new development has proved to be a hit with the kids. Of course there are puppies who love to chat and play..... .

Then there is the princess who simply must practice her ballet moves....

Until the mummy monster starts getting grumpy and attempts to eat her head....

Unravel.....

Today I was at work to get through all the mandatory training updates that I have to do each year - the pain management ones, fire and emergency training, infection control - all the usual subjects. The final one of the day was basic life support and it was at this point that the day started falling apart.

Let me go back a few months....we had a patient who I had nursed on a number of admissions and each time this wonderful woman came through the ward doors I was always keen for a chat to find out how life had been going for her and her boys (she had two boys, one of which was autistic so we had a bit in common). She had been a historian and had PhD for which she had worked on tracing acient langugaes - how they travelled to different geological locations and how they developed over time. She was amazing.

2:22 on a Thursday morning there was an emergency resus code on our ward which I was involved in and which resulted in this womans death. It was the first time I had ever performed CPR outside of a training scenario. It was awful. During the resus we applied an AED which is an automated defibrilator and we did shock her. It was awful.

Fast forward to today and as soon as the instructor ripped open the packed on the AED I had a lump in my throat. A big one. Then I heard the automated voice and I wished an enormous hole would open up and swallow me whole. I closed my eyes and all I could see was this dead womans eyes, the way her jugular line would ooze every time we compressed her chest. The phone call I had to make. I felt absolutely ill.

I walked out of the room, head spinning, eyes wet and feeling just awful. Composed myself, went back in and finished the session but as soon as I got in the car I burst into tears and cried all the way home. Cried for the loss of a woman who was amazing, cried for two little boys who will have a lifetime of mothers days, birthdays and christmas celebrations without the woman who bought them into this world. It sucks. Life sucks.

Beating budget blues

I desperately DESPERATELY want to have a mortgage. I want a home of my own. Now I know that it is just not going to happen in this town - property is ridiculously over priced and there is no way I can afford anything here on just one income so I have been glancing further afield.

Tamworth is a big contender given that I spent a large part of my childhood there. I know the town fairly well and it's big enough to have a hospital that offers alot of services but small enough that it has that country feel to it as well. Apart from the crazy few weeks in January when the country music festival is on I really like the place. The only down side for me is that it is quite a way away from the coast and therefore the beach.

Wagga Wagga is also a big enough but small enough option although I don't know all that much about it. I need to research schools in the area a little bit more but the hospital seems quite okay - smaller than Tamworth but it's something I'm willing to go with for the opportunity to have a place all of my own.

Any other suggestions? I'd love somewhere on the coast but that just doesn't seem to be a realistic option - there isn't anywhere that has reasonably priced homes for sale and a decent sized hospital and services for my little spunk. I'd love to hear ideas though!!

Looking at properties and mortgages also makes me realise and get motivated about my budget. Examining and re-examining, trying to find the fat and trim it off - I think I'm on track at the moment!!