Our new dining room

In order to increase the size of the kitchen we needed to find a space for our dining table and chairs. After considering a few alternatives we decided to change the study into the dining room. This meant knocking out a wall and finding spots for all of the things previously stored, on display, etc in the study. OMG! I could not believe the amount of 'stuff' that came out of that one small room. It took me a whole week to empty, rehouse, rearrange, put back some of the items and set up the space as a formal dining room. It was a few weeks before Cal had the time to knock out the wall and even longer before the electricals were complete and Stephen built, plastered and painted the new nib wall. But......it was so worth it! We are so pleased with the result. It is a lovely room which along with the redesigned kitchen helps to open up the living area of the house, giving it a feeling of space.

It's been a while...

Where did that six months go? Life just goes on and time really does pass so quickly......particularly it seems as you get older. Nothing much has happened in these months but then again......heaps of things have happened......lots of those ordinary everyday things that give a life substance and stability.

We did finish the kitchen and it is even better than I could have imagined. I am thrilled with every little thing. All that planning, collecting of ideas, looking at other kitchens, listening to the experiences of others and finding the right kitchen company all paid off!!! Stephen did some of the work, especially the detailed jobs like tiling and as usual it is perfect. Slow but steady really does pay off!

The kitchen reno begins......

What have we got ourselves in for??? The kitchen reno has begun but like all good renovations......all is not as easy as it seems.

With the kitchen taking up more of the area, we needed to find another space for our dining table and chairs. Do we move my craft room into the spare bedroom and return the dining room to its former 'glory'? I really like the fact that my craft room is so close to the hub of the home so another solution had to be found. This has led to the current study being turned into a dining room which means that we are now pulling down the wall between the study and the family room. After a trip to Ikea and many days rearranging furniture, sorting, organising, culling and cleaning, the study is looking like a dining room. We are actually really pleased with it. Cal is going to pull down the wall and box up the opening over the weekend. Can't wait!!!

One week down......

Le Tour de France has started for 2013 (and so have the late nights!!!) with OGE doing particularly well during the first week. Simon Gerrans won Stage 3 and the team followed up the very next night winning the TTT. Gerrans wore the yellow jersey for two nights before handing it over team mate Impey. Great to see an Australian team doing so well in this iconic event.

iPhoneography

I just love photography and everything about it. I love taking the photo, enhancing it and finally scrapbooking it. I love Photoshop and Lightroom. I love Snapseed and Picfx. I love our Canon DSLR, my little point and shot Canon and I love my iPhone.

While staying in Harrietville I went out for a walk to take a few shots of Autumn leaves with my iPhone. The shots were pretty ordinary and in no way did justice to the natural colours and the beautiful landscape. Not to worry. With the use of Snapseed and Picfx I was able to transform them into shots that more closely represent the true beauty of nature.

Glorious Harrietville

Stephen and I have been looking forward to our time in Harrietville since January when we had to leave after just one day because of the bushfire raging out of control just above the town. As you walk around the town you can see the scars of the fire in the nearby hills. On the night before we left in January we could clearly see the flames but in the light of day today you can see just how close it did come to the town. It must have been terrifying for the residents left behind.

Our very own "Block All Stars"

It's all mine......and the bank's!

Settlement Day

Lach took possession of his first home on 6th February. It is a lovely home in a beautiful quiet court in the Calder Rise area of Keilor. Like any 40 year old home it needed a bit of a face lift. Over the past 4 weeks we have painted throughout, replaced the carpet, updated the bathrooms, filled in the in ground pool, removed doors, replaced doors, removed rubbish, hung curtains, knocked down gates and fences and cleaned. It is looking fabulous! Cal took responsibility for all the building type work. Lach, Stephen and I have all contributed to the painting with Stephen taking the main role. Lach showed his strength by breaking up the concrete floor of the pool among other things. I have spent quite a bit of time cleaning and taking down, washing and putting up curtains. Once finished Lach is hoping to lease it. He has been talking with a couple of real estate agents and hopes to have it on the rental market very soon.

Anyone for a swim?

Hard at work

Pulling up the old carpet

The new carpet looks fabulous

New cement sheeting

Waterproofing completed - now for the tiles

A big weekend!

The myriad of light fitting throughout the house. VERY retro!