Coffee, the country and life as we know it …..

Believe it or not this post has been sitting in drafts for two months waiting to be posted but with two kids under the age of three I find my blogging time has been sweetly sabotaged. Even now I  am typing this with one hand to get it done – I guess I get full marks for perseverance.

During the last holidays (hubby is a teacher) we often tried to sneak off for a coffee when the two new additions to our family (our foster boys) went off to access with their parents. It is our time alone to dream and chat and connect. Usually our bunch are not up and awake when we sneak out as they tend to sleep in during their holidays. We headed up into the hills to a small village called Emerald.  It has such a lovely small friendly community feel about it and the simple country lifestyle appeals to me more and more. Hubby and I often joke that when we are older and all the kids have left we could end up in a caravan touring the countryside (I think I get that from my Mom and Dad). Anyway I digress as I dream….. we found this amazing coffee shop and bakery in Emerald. I can’t believe we haven’t discovered it sooner. It was the hub of the village – the atmosphere was wonderful and buzzing but we just loved the decor. We acted like total tourists and were snapping photos of everything inside. This is my kind of decor – a bit of industrial, a bit of rustic charm, a bit of country meets vintage – I LOVED everything!!!

We couldn’t believe it when our coffee arrived. They came in these glass jars with handles – how cute and original is that? We sat on an old leather brown couch and enjoyed our coffee,

Three days later we headed back for another fix – this time armed with our laptops – I could get used to writing in a place like this. As usual the place was cooking. The food is good there too but really it is the atmosphere that makes the place so wonderful. Here are a few of the snaps I took – not great photos as they were taken on hubby’s iphone but you get the idea.

We are rapidly heading for the end of the year and my head is spinning at all there is to do before we get there. Michaela has completed her first year of Uni which makes me feel ancient in some ways and Ethan is going into Year 12 next year. We are delighted that he can do his Certificate 3 in Fitness while completing his Yr12 as this will be a good start for him.

I have booked our camping holiday for a week in December and looking so forward to getting away from it all. Camping with a baby who will probably be walking by then and an almost  3 year old will certainly have its challenges and keep us busy, but hopefully some sun, sea and a change of scenery will make us feel relaxed nonetheless.

I have had the urge to tackle some creative tasks again and Michaela has done her first renovation project which turned out so well. She has wanted an old roll top desk and eventually we found an old one that needed some work. She did a great job – I will hopefully have a chance to take some photos this holiday.

Then I have been itching to paint my boring old hat and coat stand for a while – eventually decided on a bright green paint and I am delighted with the results. Aaron (my youngest) referred to me as arty farty the other day – well I guess I am a bit  – still love the green though – now it stands out against the wooden cupboard doors instead of blending into it.

This is how it looked before:

This is how it looks now:

Yes you probably noticed that I painted the dresser too – was getting a bit bored with the wood look!!

Summer is showing itself tantalizingly every now and again and I am so looking forward to it – there are so many reasons I love it so much – sun just makes me happy – Hubby and I were commenting how even the kids come to life when the weather is beautiful – they get outdoors and actually play basketball/soccer with one another and it is so good to see them doing this as often teens have a tendency to hive off in their own rooms attached to their technology devices. I am just loving watching them as it won’t be too many years left till they fly the coop and we won’t have them with us. The days are longer and even that cheers me up. Our kitchen vegetable garden is looking fantastic – we are enjoying some broccoli and lettuce at the moment but soon hope to have tomatoes, capsicums,egg plant, spinach, beans, strawberries as well as some corn. Our flowers are looking really pretty too.

Michaela has been taking driving lessons – we decided it was the best way to go as we have not got the time to spend every day teaching her. Already she is making nice progress and as soon as she has finished her lessons we will be able to get her hours up on the roads. It takes about five years to get your full license here in Victoria – a long process!! Recently we bought a new little car as our Nissan Maxima needed a new clutch – it would have cost us about $2000 to repair and being 17 years old we really felt it wasn’t worth the spend. Instead we have bought a very fuel efficient Hyundai Getz – this is also a perfect little car for Michaela to learn in and runs on the sniff of an oil rag.

So that is all my catch up news – not much has happened in two months (which is a good thing as then this post would never have been finished!!) – better start my next post as it may be awhile before I get it posted. So from me, enjoy summer!!

Nesting ….

I have been so busy over the last few months since we began fostering that I haven’t had time to be creative or the energy to work on projects. Just keeping my living room floor clear of toys and toddler gunk has been a mission. I have also been looking for another house for us to rent that has more space but to be honest I have not found what we are looking for. So now I have settled in my heart that we will stay where we are unless something amazing comes up that is affordable. For now we have good, manageable space and a great size yard and a very good rent. The owner of our property is also making some long needed improvements that will make a difference. After settling all the yearnings to move I got this crazy nesting urge – that is I felt the creative bug bite and I wanted some things done – NOW, TODAY, IMMEDIATELY. I am not the patient type when an idea comes to mind – lucky for me Hubby is the same and so off we went shopping and spent some of our tax return. I think too it is the start of Spring that has got me going – sunshine just makes me happy and feel energised.

I started with my veranda – Moved one of my paintings out there as a statement and added some cushions to the bench.

We have been eyeing out a giant canvas from IKEA for two years now but we have never splashed out on it because it was a luxury for us. Last year I was planning to get it for Hubby’s birthday but as usual some expense came up and we never quite got there. Yesterday we decided to just splash out and get it. It has been placed over our mantel and covers that horrible seventies arch brickwork. Although it covers almost the whole wall we love it because it is a picture with such depth and perspective and it draws you in creating a feeling of space. We just love how the rope  bridge  almost looks like an extension of our jute rug on the floor. The problem though was that the brick work was still ugly and seemed to diminish the beauty of the canvas so I bought some mdf and painted it with Taubmanns suede finish in a green colour. Then I put the two strips of green mdf down the side of the canvas covering the brickwork. I must say we are quite pleased with the result as the picture stands out more now.

The next thing I have been wanting to do for a while is to change the lights in our living room. Firstly the lighting was so poor  as the glass shades are yellow and secondly they are just plain UGLY!!!

I wanted to modernize the look a little without spending too much money. Initially I had my heart set on certain lights from IKEA but then Hubby and I were a little concerned they would be too dull again. Also they were more than I wanted to spend as this is a rental property. Eventually we settled on two large shades to hang from the ceiling at a very affordable price.

Since the boys have arrived to stay with us we have re-configured our home slightly. We have blocked off the doorway from our hallway into the living room so that you get access to the living room from the dining room and kitchen. The reason for this was to prevent the toddler using the circuit as a running track constantly and also because he gets very stressed when someone walks out the door – this was becoming stressful every time someone went out the front door. Now he is not always aware when someone leaves. We blocked off the door with a hutch in the entrance. Although this works it is not the prettiest sight in the living room as again the doorway is arched brickwork. I came up with a plan to  add texture to the wall and to cover the back of the hutch with a blind that hangs from ceiling to floor. I got this at an op shop for a few dollars.

For the longest time ever I have wanted a console table to hold some items in my lounge. I have been looking on Ebay for something I could restore but even the worst ones have been too pricey for my liking. As I was wandering through IKEA I spotted some metal trestle table legs that were going for a song so I snapped them up. I wanted my table to be very rustic in appearance so we popped into Bunnings and picked up three sleepers that had beautiful texture and colour. In no time Hubby had constructed my quick and easy console table for me. I had thought of wrapping the metal legs in jute twine to make it more rustic but I actually like the contrast of the metal and rough wood so for now it will stay the same. I still need to sand the table top and get it looking beautiful as at present it is still rough and ready.

We have picked up some very lovely pieces over the last few months from Op shops and specials. This standing lamp has a bit of an industrial feel/ movie set feel and we got it for $17 from Target on a clearance sale. Our deep red shag rugs that match my cute little sofa were a buy on sale again for $30.

I have been collecting old suitcases for ages – they have become quite fashionable again and so are not always reasonably priced, but these babies were going at various stores for a few bucks.

I decided to improve our entrance hall at the same time. It is still a work in progress but this is what I have done so far. Hubby  bought me a coat stand for the entrance hall ( I have been coveting one of these for years). He picked it up at an op shop for $6. I have plans to spray paint it a really funky bold colour – maybe a deep turquoise.  I was really bored with the look of the pine hutch so I  decided to paint it in antique white and then sand it so that the wood showed through in places. The knobs  will eventually be replaced by some colourful ceramic ones.

I have also been looking for a chair for the entrance hall. Finally I found this red vinyl chair for $10. It has been nick-named the “Thinking Chair” because the toddler gets put there regularly when he has tantrums. Seems to be working a treat.

Our dining room has also had a makeover slightly. The table needs to be sanded again and I plan to keep it lighter this time by simply applying some Danish Oil rather than a stain. Hubby brought home some high backed leather style dining chairs that were far more sturdy and comfortable than the set we had. He picked them up with a table for $30 from an op shop ( yes and you thought I was the op shop queen – he is fast usurping that title from me – I have trained him well). We didn’t need another table but we did want a small one for the computer so hubby quickly got our his saw and cut that table up to make a smaller one (Clever man!!).

Some other changes – I have moved my ladder from the bookshelves in the living room (as I feared a toddler would be squashed by falling ladder) and put it in my bathroom as a towel holder for when we shower.

This weekend has been spent getting our home back into some semblance of normality and order ( except for my laundry that is piled with washing as usual -SIGH…..) and I have loved being creative again – I have missed the satisfaction that comes from creating and making something/ re-purposing something. Hubby has been busy too out in the kitchen garden. New winter veggies are growing – broccoli and cauliflower and sweetpeas planted. We are trying out some new ideas we have recently seen too – growing plants on a trellis – so we have a passion fruit plant and an olive tree growing this way – can’t wait to see how they turn out. Roses are pruned and ready for spring/summer. Hubby found a whole lot of beautiful terracotta pots thrown out to plant so slips getting planted.

All in all this nesting spree has been very productive and the best part is that it has not cost us an arm and a leg (other than our beautiful canvas we treated ourselves to.

 

A spurt of inspiration…

Today is the start of the school holidays – in one way I love the relaxed time with no early starts and lots of family time, but in other ways I loathe the chaos of mess and constant dirty dishes and lack of routine. My quiet time gets put on hold and it becomes a bit crazy at times. We have made no grand plans to do anything this holiday as it always seems that when we do, all hell breaks loose and our time gets taken by other dramas that unfold. This holiday we just plan to BE and see how it unfolds!!

I have made a few exciting purchases on ebay of late – a sewing machine that is almost brand new for a quarter of its new price, and a cupboard to store my art supplies in for a whopping amount of 99c. I have been inundated with creative ideas that are just flowing so I have my little notebook and pen with me all the time now to jot things down. I have been praying for awhile now, asking God to download ideas and Blueprints to me – I need to work next year and I have no desire to teach again so I am scrambling for an idea. I have been down this road before with no success so I won’t share anymore until things are working and happening except to say that God seems to be downloading amazing ideas to me. Time will tell – in the meantime I am working hard to make it a reality.

The other joy in my day is that we have sunshine – yes that little ball of warmth is making an appearance although it comes and goes – my delight is that we will probably have a warmer summer this year – Yay!!

Ikea have opened a new megastore quite near to us and so I hope to have a trip there this holiday – I love browsing and getting ideas in home stores and Ikea has incredibly good ideas.

Awhile ago I posted about my laundry makeover – well I have been very silent since then because after the big clean up things got worse than ever!! It got to the point where I so hated my laundry. I could barely get in the door because this is what confronted me :

• four baskets of clean washing overflowing onto the floor
• A pile almost to the ceiling of dirty washing squashed between the deep freeze and the wash basin.
• A counter top also full of clean but unfolded laundry
• three standing fans that took up way too much space
• A car seat
• numerous empty boxes
• A bag of old clothing waiting to go to the opshop
• a vacuum cleaner
• A clothes drying rack

Yes I am ashamed to say it was so bad I refused to even take a before photo – it was worse than when I snapped it for my last post – heehee – that is a little embarrassed laugh.

My saving grace the other day was the power cut we had – I couldn’t blog or surf the net or do anything really except CLEAN THE LAUNDRY. It took me four hours to sort through that lot and I think I am reformed now – I don’t ever want to go through that again. To keep me motivated I painted a picture to hang up in there so that it is a bit more of a pleasant place. This is my painting of  “Laundry day in Africa”.

Laundry neat and tidy!! Long may it last!!

Hubby has had his own spurt of inspiration – the spring weather has had him planting our new Kitchen Garden – tubs and containers full of salad greens and veggies. Looks like we will be having lettuce, tomato, capsicums, egg plants, beans, peas, chillis, spinach, basil and my most favourite coriander!! He has worked very hard to get this happening and Aaron loves to water the garden each day.

From big matters to little matters.

It almost seems silly that I am pottering around putting order into trivial things in my home when the world is falling down in places and many people are suffering and have lost loved ones. However it does keep things in perspective for me as I realize that people are important and things are just things. Yes, I do get pleasure out of having pretty things around me, especially when I have adapted something or creatively used an item in an unusual way and that will always be a part of me I guess. Hubby and I have been devastated seeing the footage and photos of a city we loved (Christchurch)  lying in ruins. Our hearts will always be a part of that place – we have never stopped loving it and the people who we know there, and it has been an emotional time for us this week. We are relieved that people we know are all safe and okay, but our hearts go out to those who are hurting and have lost. It is almost weird seeing places and buildings you have been into lying flattened – too surreal!! So from the deep and big matters of life to the little matter of keeping myself busy (I really need to get busy with that correspondence course!!) – I have neatened up my entrance – nothing flash – just trying to make it a little more attractive than it was – unfortunately no before photo – just imagine dusty, toys and shoes everywhere and a light fitting that was a single dirty globe hanging from a twisted, pathetic metal frame and you get the picture!! Add a few tins and a cute jug, a lovely old basket for shoes. a big chair and my lovely potted hydrangea and it already looks better.  That sits on the wooden chair. All good!! I must say, I really love my cottage pane windows in this house even though cleaning them (which I don’t do often) is a pain!! As a little girl I always imagined living in a home one day with cottage pane windows. It always amazes me how often little details like these are “given” to us in life – it tells me that my heavenly Dad really cares about the little stuff that we desire too – isn’t that neat??

I quickly ran up a tea towel from IKEA into a cushion and stencilled WELCOME across the front.

I put my rustic wooden shelves at the door and placed some colourful geraniums on top – I still will need to make some colourful tins to put them into – I have 3 large tins that are still full, so when they are empty I will tackle them.

Hubby put up my new light (Bought at the op shop brand new for $10) and it looks lovely.

A much nicer way to arrive home each time I think!! Now lets hope we can keep it neat hmmm…

Ramblings…..

I have been busy trying to get a few things done lately between my visits to the doctors. Since being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes I have had to go backwards and forwards as they initially do tests and work out what to do with me. I feel as though I should have my own reserved parking at the clinic. I have seen the dietician and I have altered my eating a bit and made sure that I am diligent in eating at consistent intervals. I would have loved to have seen my face when the dietician showed me how much I could eat at a sitting. My mind was thinking, “gee I’m going to starve if I eat that much.” I am not a huge eater, but I do enjoy my food and the thought of such a little amount made me want to cry out NOOOOOO!!! Nonetheless I am trying to be a good girl and I feel as though I have already lost a little bit of weight. Enough of that. My roses are in bloom again as you can tell by my new header. The pruning I gave them has paid off and I can see that I am going to enjoy many beautiful red and white roses this summer.

The only problem is that the aphids seem to be loving the roses too!!

I am busy on a project that shows some promise. I have decided to cover my lounge couches as they are wearing out and the fabric is not my ideal fabric, so I am sewing some fitted covers for them. I decided not to splash out and buy expensive fabric as I wasn’t sure how they would turn out due to my sewing skill. My solution was to buy some large white 100% cotton sheets from the op shop and attempt the project. If it turns out well I will consider splashing out in the future. Stay tuned for the end reveal.

Rose makeover…

Awhile ago I showed you some of the photos of my poor neglected roses. Well today they had a makeover when my friend Rose came over and cut them back and shaped them again for me. These roses have been very neglected for a long time. We decided not to prune them harshly now as some might still flower but to cut off the extra shoots and tendrils and then to give them a hard pruning in July.

This is the before photo.

Here is what it looks like now after the cleanup.

So how fantastic is my garden now – a vast improvement and so hopefully next year I will get a lot more roses like these few I cut off the bush today.

Thanks Rose for all your help!!

Garden Challenge

I am feeling desperate to be creative but have no outlet at the moment, so I am tackling parts of my garden in an attempt to settle my creative flow. The garden of the home we have moved to needs help desperately. I had a chuckle when I read the property manager’s report regarding the garden. It said the garden was ” immaculate” – Well from what I could see the shrubs look like they have been attacked by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as they have been chopped right down  and the leftover dead branches not even properly removed. The roses ( I managed to eventually identify these plants – please note my sarcasm!!) are so in need of pruning that they are falling over in places – although I should be glad they didn’t destroy them with the chainsaw because at least I can rescue them now. I have a friend who is a rose lover (and ironically her name is Rose) and she has promised to come and care for my roses and restore them.

I have an elevated area at the back of the house that is bare except for some weeds that are starting to look healthy so I have decided to start there. I have already planted some slips that I have picked up from my walks along the front of this box and should get a beautiful trailing pink display in the future.

At the back against the fence I plan to sow some dwarf sweetpea seeds. I am planning to mix up vegetables and some flowers to make a pretty display. I want some lavender, rosemary, mint, parsley and some seasonal veggies put in as well.  I will keep you updated every few weeks with how it is all growing once I have sown everything. I am going for the really economic version as well – planting seeds from scratch and no seedlings, so hopefully everything grows. I was reading a fascinating article about moon gardening and how different cycles of the moon affects plants and how they grow – different!!! Anyway I have enough to worry about without having to check the moon’s cycles as well!! So here’s hoping all goes according to plan.

Kitchen Garden

Spring is on our doorstep and it is starting to warm up  beautifully. I am determined to make a kitchen garden this year and grow some veggies and flowers in a number of pots outside our kitchen area. Hubby is going to do his upside down tomatoes (for want of another name) and I will post separately about that. I am planning on a variety of lettuce (mesclun and rocket) as well basil, coriander, spring onions, peppers  and whatever else takes my fancy. I am also planning on revamping my outdoor area so that we can enjoy it more this summer for entertaining. At this point in time it is just a covered gazebo/pagoda that houses my washing on wet winter days, but I see a lot of potential here.

 

 

 

So watch this space over the next month and see how it all turns out. This has to be a project done on a budget of course – that is part of the challenge!!

The Big Clean UP

Today was a rare sunny day and so we decided to get out into the garden and do a big clean up. The house was a bit messy because it has been school holidays and we have had many rainy days. Everyone pitched in and helped …. although A3 spent more time playing than anything else.

 

We had so many leaves in the front garden from our tree that is taking forever to lose them, so it was good to see the lawn again!!

We have been so blessed living where we do – we live in a fairly quiet lane that is a cul-de-sac and we have a lovely view of trees in front of us.

Seed Update

Here is a quick update of Z9’s seeds that are growing – it has become quite cold and rainy here as winter sets in but the seeds are continuing to grow ( not fantastically fast but growing nonetheless). Hubby confessed that he has been praying for her seeds to grow despite the season. Well I must say, prayer definitely works!!!