Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 6

Week Six: Joy and Laughter

 

 

Ivy's 1st Birthday Party - a very happy occasion...

 

Head on over to Sarah Hernon Photography to see more about the challenge.

Kitchen Update...

I think the last time I mentioned our renovations we were knocking out the wall between the kitchen and family room...

 

Kitchen "before"

Kitchen "before"

 

Well now the wall is completely gone...

 

And as a matter of fact, the kitchen is now also completely gone...

 

 



 Once the kitchen was cleared out our friend, who also happens to be an electrician (lucky for us!) came and wired everything up...

 

We also closed in the window on the eastern side to make room for more cupboard space...

 

And yesterday we got a very exciting delivery...our new kitchen!!!  Yippee!!!

 

It looks like a bit of a puzzle at the moment but tomorrow is the day that all the pieces will be put together... not by us, mind you coz that would not go well!! But luckily, another friend of ours is a cabinet maker so he has also kindly helped us out... 

 

Sooooooooo EXCITED!!

 

 

This is better than Christmas Eve...this is Kitchen Eve!!!!

 

Sarah Hernon Photography - Week 5

Week Five: Celebrate Spring

 

 

Love the beauty and colour of Springtime!!

Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 4

Week Four: Nature's Gifts

 

 

Show day holiday trip to the beautiful Crows Nest Falls after the devastating Queensland floods, some damage and uprooted trees but still beautiful to be surrounded by nature...

You can check out Sarah Hernon Photography here

Must...stop...impulse...buying...!!!

So today little Ives and I ventured out to Kmart in search of a broom (as the handle of our old one snapped in two the other day) and some new crayons and sketch pad...

 

I'm also on the lookout for a book called "There's a House Inside My Mummy" as it was recommended to me by a few people at the wedding on the weekend...

 

And that, my friends, is where I stumbled across this book...

 

Something about the front cover just drew me in immediately...

 

Possibly the delicious looking strawberry tart you may be thinking???

 

Um no...

 

It was the colour of the rustic looking table upon which the strawberry tart was placed...

 

The exact accent colour I want to use when our kitchen / family room renovations are complete...

 

Don't you think it would be just perfect perched on the kitchen bench???

 

Anyway after umming and ahhing and justifying it by saying it can be hubby's birthday present for me this year (as it's just around the corner and he never goes shopping!!) I put it in my trolley and parted with my $35...

 

Tonight I've just been flicking through it and although everything looks delicious, I can honestly say there are maybe a handful of recepies that I would be game to attempt and probably even less that my hubby would actually eat (he's a pretty standard meat and three veg kinda guy!)...

 

Oops...

 

Regretting the impulse buy???

 

Maybe...

 

But will it look the part on display in my new kitchen???

 

Definitely!!!

 

Oh, and I made it all the way to the counter with our stuff and then remembered I didn't even have the broom and had to go back!!!  Yet another moment to blame the baby brain...

Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 3

Week Three: Happiness is...

 

At the in-laws farm - Ivy 12 months old

 

...carefree family outdoor fun!

You can check out Sarah Hernon Photography here and play along!

Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 2

So it turns out I'm enjoying taking a walk down memory lane and finding little gems or out-takes of life since Ivy has arrived that I can use in this challenge.  I would love to share these pictures on this blog as otherwise they would just sit here on my computer and get lost in the thousands of pictures that I am going to go through "one day"...

Week Two: Children of the Fur

Ruby with Ivy approx. 4 months old

This is our dog "Ruby".  When we had Ivy our midwife told us to have a blanket that we could wrap her in while in hospital and then take it home and place in the Ruby's bed so that she would be used to and comforted by the smell of our new Ivy when we bought her home.  We did this and these two have been firm friends since the first moment they met.  We have since had to move Ruby's kennel to underneath Ivy's bedroom window as that's where she would sleep and quite often you would hear and quite and comforting little growl from Ruby during late night and early morning feeds.

Pop on over to Sarah Hernon Photography and join in the challenge!

Sarah Hernon Photography Challenge - Week 1

As mentioned in my previous post "Stick with it" I mentioned that I was going to partake in a photography challenge with Sarah Hernon Photography (previously Forever in time Photography)...

 

Well, I'm gonna have to do a bit of a catch up but here goes...

 

Look out for a few posts over the next couple of days.  I'm not going to pressure myself to take brand new photos but all photos will have been taken by me and have some special meaning to me...

 

Week One: Windows to the Soul

Ivy - approx 3-4 months old

 

There's a twinkle in these young eyes that shows an innocent but inquisitive soul with a yearning for light and laughter and a cheeky sense of fun.



LOVE...is friendship set on fire!

On the weekend just gone I had the absolute pleasure of attending the wedding of my brother and his now wife in sunny Brisbane...

 

It was honestly one of the most beautiful weddings I have attended and I firmly believe that this didn't have all that much to do with the location/outfits/flowers/meal/etc. (although all that stuff was really lovely and couldn't be faulted)...

 

But mainly just because of the glowing smiles that did not stop beaming from their faces...

 

The way they treated each other with respect and love and enjoy each other with a genuine friendship...

 

Little Ivy scored a gig as flower girl and she couldn't have done a better job if we'd trained her for weeks before hand...

 

Somehow she just knew when her moments were and just shone...one proud Mummy right here!!

 

 

Walked up the aisle carrying her flowers...check

 

Danced in the aisle when the music was playing...check

 

Clapped loudly and shouted yay when the song finished, when they kissed, when they walked out and at pretty much any other moment her excitement of the occcasion felt like overflowing...check!!

 

She was so adorable and had many kind comments directed her way...

 

I just LOVE weddings and catching up with my crazy family...

 

I grew up with three younger brothers and now that they are all bigger than me they think it's funny to pick on me...

 

Lucky I married my hubby who's bigger than all of them!!

 

but it's that cheeky fun temperament that I love about them....

 

 

Just a special day with special people!!

 

I spent most of the reception chasing Ivy around as all she wanted to do was explore but had time for a little dance before hubby to her off to bed just after 10pm... (one of the benefits of staying in a room at the same place the reception was being held and having a hubby who didn't want a late night as he wanted to go fishing the next day)...

 

 

Love these special times!!

 

Why are there so many different colours of paint?!?

Still trying to decide what colour to paint the majority of walls in our house... today I am thinking possibly Solver Smoke Pearl - got my inspiration from here

Our house looks to be of a similar era with the arches and as we have decided to leave them a nice grey would probably modernise the place...

Paint colours, baby names...so many big decisions to be made around here!!

Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet Ivy...

10 weeks pregnant (catch up)...

My lovely friend has started her journey to becoming a photographer and I am so lucky that she is using me and my pregnancy as part of her learning process!!

 

These shots were taken a couple of weeks ago, when I was 10 weeks pregnants and I LOVE them!!

 

 

I am excited to be sharing this special time with her and to be documenting this pregnancy as it progresses...

 

 

She has some great creative ideas and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you...

 

 

You can read more about her photography journey here.

 

 

 



A good thought...

Stick with it...

So, I will be the first one to say that I am very bad at sticking with things...

 

I get very excited and enthusiastic to start projects and after a while my enthusiasm wanes and it falls by the wayside...  You have probably already realised this by reading this blog!!

 

Well, once again I am starting a new photo challenge started by my friend on her blog 'Forever in Time Photography' - you can read her blog HERE.

 

My goal is to start taking more photos to post on my blog as I have been a bit lax of late...

 

so lets do it!!

Today I am feeling peaceful...

This morning I attended my very first yoga class...

 

and absolutely LOVED it!!!

 

I think this may be my new obsession...

 

I feel lighter...

 

happier...

 

more relaxed...

 

looser...

 

healthier in both mind and body...

 

Doing yoga just made me feel like I could just float away...

 

I am feeling peaceful :-)

 

Ready to take on another week...

 



What's in a name?

So today I reached the magical 12 week mark of pregnancy...

 

So around 6 months to come up with the perfect name for the little human being growing inside of me...

 

This is one of my favourite things, I really love researching and coming up with names, nothing too unusual or out there but meaningful and (in my mind) fit for this new special little being to walk around with for all of his/her days...

 

Our first child, we called Ivy Jewel.  For a long time we were going to name her Eilley but changed our minds a couple of weeks before she was born as Ivy sounds similar, would not need to be constantly repeated and spelled when people asked her name and also is in memory of my late grandfather, Ivan.  Jewel is because I bought an album of lullabys by Jewel Kilcher that I listened to continually towards the end of my pregnancy and continue to listen to it now.  It is just so beautiful and relaxing... I also have loved Jewel's songs for a long time and think the name is lovely...

 

So we don't know if bub #2 is a boy or girl yet but one idea is to look at names relating to Autumn  (as the baby will be born in May) examples are...

Autumn

Scarlet

Hazel

Ash (Ashton/Asher)

Hue (Hugh)

Hunter

 

I have loved Scarlet for the longest time and it is definitely on top of my girls list at the moment, I also like Lola at the moment as well.  For some reason I find it a lot easier to come up with girl names than boy names...maybe this is a sign that bub#2 is another girl??  I don't mind either way but secretly I wouldn't mind another girl as I didn't have a sister (I did have three brothers though!!) and I would love for Ivy to have a sister to grow up with...

 

This post is just the start of the naming journey I'm interested and excited to see where it takes us and how many mind changes happen along the way!! 

 

Celebrating four years of married life...

 

 

Today is our fourth wedding anniversay...

 

And I'm a little embarrassed to say that I only realised this morning when I looked at the date!

 

Looking through our photos my memories of the day are...

 

Being exhausted in the morning from putting everything together and of course all the emotional stuff that happens when you're just about to get married!!

 

The relief of seeing Paul at the alter and knowing that no matter what happened that day we would be married and nothing else mattered...

 

The relaxed and fun atmosphere of the reception where everyone danced the night away!!

 

We were young, didn't have much money (I think my dress cost less than $200) and we're not the type of people who go over the top.  The rain held off enough to let us get in and out of the church without getting wet, however then the long droughts were broken and the afternoon was wet and stormy.  Our photo venue was changed from the lovely gardens to one of the local pubs... 

 

We didn't care...

 

Our wedding felt right, just how we wanted it to...

 

and we have had a lovely and eventful four years!!

 

He's still my best friend, my confidant and my one true love...

 

Looking forward to the next 40+ years to come!!



Decision made...

 

 

Yesterday I resigned from my job...

 

And I feel so much lighter...

 

I slept so much better than I have in a long time...

 

I am happy...

 

I am content and confident that the decision I made is what's best for me and my family...

 

The colour has come back into my world and I am excited for new opportunities...

At a crossroads...

For the past week I have been stressed...more stressed than usual...

 

 Stress is not good for me or the life that is growing inside me nor is it good for the relationships with the people I love most in the world - my husband and my daughter...

 

The major cause of this stress is work...in particular my boss, his unrealistic expectations and his constant penny pinching ways with respect for not paying me for all the work that I do (he's not the only one with a family to feed!!)...

 

So I'm at a bit of a crossroad...do I stop work now to try to nurture what's left of my sanity so that I can be calm and in control for my family or continue to bust my guts for the next few months for a man whom will not appreciate an ounce of effort that I put in to earn a few bucks before the birth of baby #2?...

 

My head and heart both scream "Get out NOW!!" but in the back of my mind I'm thinking "Nobody's work is perfect", "I've only got to last another 4-5 months", "Will I feel lost or guilty that I'm not working while I know my husband works his bum off at work and not always under the best conditions"...

 

I'm meeting with my boss in the morning...

 

I have asked another senior adviser to sit in on the meeting as in the past he has said things in the moment that satisfy me but never followed through (I'm sure he never had any intention of following through)...so having her as a 'witness' makes me more comfortable....

 

I do not want to be confrontational...I do not like confontation...

 

I need to stand up for myself...

 

I need to feel calm...

 

I need to be healthy...

 

I want to be happy again...

 

I guess there are two distinct paths and I need to choose one...money or happiness...

 

Of course I know that leaving my job now will not eliminate all stress from my life and will probably introduce a new set of issues, such as living on a reduced budget but I'm chasing a simple kind of beautiful right!?!  Less trying to please others who are never satisfied an more time injecting myself into what's important (i.e. my family, my home, myself) may be just what I need...

 

I know which way I'm leaning but stay tuned for the next installment...

Pictures of me...

As part of Photoberfest Katie Evans is trying to get the photographer in front of the camera...

 

Now one thing that I've always known for sure is that I HATE having my photo taken and I NEVER (ok, very rarely) find a picture of myself that I actually like...

 

But the idea of taking photos of myself to make memories that I can look back on is kind of appealing to me...  I'm sure that in 10-20 years time I will not be as critical of the 27 year old me as I am now and will enjoy looking back at pictures of myself, yes the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY!!

 

Here's a couple of recent ones I'm just throwing out there!

 

6 weeks pregnant!!

So I definitely ain't no supermodel - but I am the one and only me!  And I'm pretty happy with that! 

The wall that was...

It's been a little while since we started the demolition of the wall between our kitchen and family room... (first mentioned here)...

 

But here are some pictures of the process...

 

My handy hubby with his trusty little helper Missy Ives...(loving that she's finally got enough hair to have cute little pigtails by the way!! and she refused to get out of her pretty dress to put on "work clothes"...such a girl!!)...

 

 

At times it was a little noisy...

 

 

But she was always there to oversee and make sure everything was going smoothly (loving the hand on the hip whilst casually leaning on the table!)...

 

 

 

And down it comes...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So at the moment I guess it's fair to say that our home is a bit of a mess, a work in progress...

 

Bring it on!! (did that sound confident?!? I hope so cause I'm a bit scared and daunted at the moment, but we WILL get there!!)

 

 

Been a little while...

So it's been a little while since my last post...

 

Partly because I've been a little busy with work, life and trying to make the house look presentable even though the walls are coming down and the dust just keeps reappearing everywhere!!

 

Partly because I haven't been feeling the best... 

 

Today I am feeling much better (although I took a sickie from work - always the way isn't it!) but thought I would take the chance to get on top of my housework before the weekend and spend some quality time with my Ivy who has been going through a bit of what we're calling an "anti-everything" period...

 

By "anti-everything" I really do mean everything!! Every question we ask the answer has been "NO!!", we even went out for tea the other night for my brother's 23rd birthday and she even said

"no chippies"!! So I think a fun day full of "yes" is definitely in order!!...

 

The reason that I haven't been feeling the best is due to morning/all day sickness! I have been constantly nauseous, dizzy and exhausted, my skin's terrible and I feel like I've got an enormous belly already and I really shouldn't!!  eek!! (Yes there's definitely only one in there!)...

 

But other than that, I've still been feeling incredibly excited, although often emotional (I cried during Sesame St this morning!! - Gina had just bought home her adopted baby boy Marco...that's a pretty good excuse right?!?)

 

A friend of mine has kindly offered to take progressive belly shots during my pregnancy so I am really excited to see where that leads.  She is very creative and I'm looking forward to recording this beautiful journey on my blog...

 

This post is lacking a little as I haven't taken any pictures lately...

 

As motivation to take more pictures I am going to try to take part in Photoberfest (click on the picture to the right for more details).  So watch this space!!!

The search for the perfect dress....

My brother is getting married at the end of November and I am in need of a new dress!! Yes, I know I do have a few that would be suitable sitting in my cupboard, but it's my BROTHER's wedding so surely that justifies a new outfit?? Yep, I think so!!

 

So I'll be nearing 4 months pregnant at the time of the wedding so I'm not sure if I should look for a maternity dress (as I've also got two weddings of friends to attend nearing the end of the pregnancy) or just go for a flowy style non-maternity dress...

 

As google is my friend I've been doing a little searching and found a couple of examples of things that I like - I think my favourite at the moment is this one from Forever New

 



 

And I will look exactly like this model as soon as I put it on...Of course!!

 

(even with a preggers belly!)

 

I can always dream...

 

I quite like the simple and elegant style of this dress from Queen Bee and it would be good for the weddings later on in the pregnancy...

 

But I do not think it would be suitable for my brother's wedding in Brisbane, in late November where it is very likely to be stinking hot!!

 

There are a couple of options on ASOS that i've found...

 

but not sure if they're exactly what I'm looking for...

 

 

Maybe a little too short....

 

But then again I'm nowhere near as tall as the nearly 6ft high model is!!...

 

But I will have to be bending down and tending to a 2 year old so maybe not such a great idea!

 



Maybe a little too black for a summer wedding...

 

But could possibly brighten up with accessories?...

 

Hmm think I'll sleep on it for a while...

 

To be continued...





Let the renovations begin!

So this week has been a major step forward in our plan to renovate our home.  After talking about it for months we have really made a start and there is definitely no turning back now!!

 

The reason I say there is no turning back is because there is a whopping great whole in our family room wall...but more on that later...

 

At the start of the week I told myself that this would be the week that I got our colour scheme sorted.  Over the last couple of weeks I've bought 5 sample pots, none of which I was overly impressed with... 

 

The top 3 made it to the wall - the one on the right is the one we like, love the tone but we may still try a half shade just to see how it looks a bit lighter.

So i figured I had to look at it from a different angle and went to our local tile shop, Metro Tiles. I saw a floor tile that I really loved and then it all just kinda fell into place and I ended up with a colour scheme....

 

 

And the previously mentioned hole in the wall (and reason that there's no turning back!!)...

 

well here it is!!

 

 

Our electrician came around and took all the power of of the wall so that we can prepare to knock it down this weekend.  We had a building inspector come around a couple of weeks ago and for $100 he told us that it wasn't load bearing and did a drawing for us to show us a few things we had to do to reinforce some of the beams in the ceiling.  My hubby (who is pretty handy!) got all the ceiling stuff sorted so now it's all ready to 'rock n roll' (as Ivy would say)!

 

By the way, I think Miss Ivy has also caught the renovating 'bug' and has been 'painting' the deck with water the last couple of days...

 

 

20 Days to Organise and Clean your Home Challenge - Day 1

In an effort to simplify my home, and therefore my life I am taking part in the '20 Days to Organise and Clean your Home Challenge' over at The Organised Housewife.

I am a little late starting but this week I am going to do my best to catch up!

Day 1 -  you can read more about the challenge Day 1 here.

KITCHEN

Clean

Load Dishwasher - would love to tick this one off but unfortunately we do not own one :-( So yep I washed and wiped up a whole sink full of dirty dishes!! DONE

 

 

 

Wipe over Sink - DONE

 

 

 

Clean the Benches - DONE

 

Wipe down the Cupboard Doors - DONE

 

 

 

Clean the Microwave - DONE

 

Wipe over Walls - DONE

 

Clean Window and Window Sills - DONE

 

Dust light fittings - DONE

 

 

Declutter

 

Kitchen Benches - DONE

 

 

Organise

Under the Kitchen Sink - eek!! after all that cleaning and decluttering I really don't wanna even look in there...but here goes nothing!!!...

 

Before...now you know why I said eek!!

 

 

Emptied and cleaned...

 

 

and finally...TA DA!!

 

 

I still want to buy a few containers to help keep it organised but it's definitely a lot less overwhelming! I can see everthing that's in there and everything is easily assessable.

 

Day 1 = Done :-)