Sub Categories and Linkies

So here I am ready to start my first new official blog post and I don't know where to begin!! I have sooo many ideas for topics and they are racing around in my head!

Image By Awesome-Kathi @ Deviant Art

So I was thinking that until I catch up I'll break it down into 5 categories and then I thought hey why not start up some crazy linkies and then I can find out who does what I do and I can start following their blogs too! So although I know this is going to start off slow I am going to start up some weekly blog posts and linkies.

1: Pimp My House

This is where I am going to be telling you about all the house renovations/decor I have done/doing/going to do! And OMGoodness I absolutely want to see what you guys are doing because I NEED all the ideas and tips I can get, maybe we can all help each other, start a support group called "I can't stop renovating my house"

2: I {Heart} Being a Mum

I am, like a million other mothers out there, overwhelmed with my job as a mother. I sometimes suck and I make major mistakes and I have regrets, but without a doubt I love my kids unconditionally. They are my whole world. This is where I'll talk about my kids and my life as a mother who juggles 500 hats just like every other mother I know. I'm not perfect but I am a FANTASTIC mother to my kids. Yep and I want you to all feel the same way about yourselves so this is where I want YOU to celebrate how awesome YOU are as a mother too!

3: Heading Off The Grid

I have future plans of living in the middle of nowhere as self-sufficiently as possible only doing the things I love and the things I need to live.  I am becoming more passionate in wanting a cleaner life for me and my family. I want to share my journey with you in this dream. If you are living this lifestyle or trying to I absolutely want to know about it all!!! I'm new at this and I absolutely want to learn as much as I can. I also really want to start being so much more environmentally friendly and start trying harder to make my families Eco Footprint much much smaller.

4: Crafting Keeps Me Sane

I started this blog as a craft blog, it has evolved into more than I could have imagined, but I am still a passionate crafter. So please as I share mine I want to see yours too! Any kind of crafting counts I don't mind, I just love seeing people making things with their own hands!!

5: Free to be Me

Life has changed for me a lot over the last 6 years and I have changed in many ways, I've made life choices that were great and some not so much, I have experienced a whole lot of new challenges and obstacles that I have worked my way through.  I have grown and I feel like I'm in a good place in my life right now. This is where I will share my life journey in finding out who I am as a person, take away the mother label and who am I? Lets find out together!! And please share with me who you are too!

I'm really looking forward to getting back in the blogging world and sharing and learning with the blogging community again.
Please if you stop by make a comment, even if it's only a 'HI' I'd love to be able to repay the visit and get to know you too, if you have blogs or otherwise.

So thanks for coming along for the ride!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I hope to!

Living Room Make Over

As soon as I moved into my house I was planning on what I wanted to do to it.
I promised my Mum that I wouldn't start anything until I have lived in the house for a few months so I didn't make any changes that I would eventually regret, and also so I knew exactly what I wanted and needed in the house. It was a great idea.
So 3 months after I moved in I decided it was time to do a room. I was going to start with one of my kids bedrooms but then I thought I would start something for me. So I chose to do the living room.

In my house the kitchen/dining/living room is all one big L shaped room with a different hallway on each end. Each section is defined as that area though so it was easy enough to just do the living part of the room without having to do the kitchen/dining part.

These are the pictures
of the living room that was in the house listing on the internet.

It looks lovely right!
Once all their furniture was out and my minimal furniture was in it didn't look that great! The really crappy paint job they did was much more noticeable, the curtains that dragged on the floor were plain annoying and it wasn't my space.

First thing I did was decide on wall colours. I knew the dark grey/gold/browny colour that was on the window wall had to go. I wanted to make the fireplace wall a feature and the rest of the walls a more neutral colour, but not plain ol' white!

I looked at sooooo many paint samples it wasn't even funny! I had coloured spots in front of my eyes when I shut them! I knew I wanted orange but I wanted classy orange not oompa loompa orange!

I loved the Dulux Colours of NZ range. I found an orange that went PERFECTLY with the painting I had which I wanted to put above the fire place. I also, after testing out a few different colours, found the neutral colour I liked. I chose Kauri Cliffs 1/2 and Rangataua

Next step was prepping the room.
The walls weren't too bad. A rough sand over all the walls was needed. LOTS of masking tape was needed. LOADS of hole patching was needed. After the holes were patched more sanding and cleaning up. I was very lucky to have my wonderful Mum and Aunt helping out and teaching me what and how to do it all since this was my very first reno project.

Getting rid of the dark colour on the window wall lightened the room up so much it was amazing! It was a little scary putting the colour on the feature wall. I was worried that it would look awful but I was so happy with it.

TO BE CONTINUED ............

Things I'm Loving

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something you can be thankful for no matter how simple it is. 

I am LOVING that I have finally finished the playroom!! Riley and Abbey LIVE in this room now. Their toys aren't in my living room anymore!! I can sit on my couch and read quietly or listen to the radio in peace while the kids play with the lego or "cook" in their kitchen or watch TV. It is FANTASTIC!!! Plus it is such a fantastic place to hang out together as a family to play games, watch a movie or whatever. 

My Aunt is moving house and getting rid of quite a bit of stuff.  She asked me if I wanted this massive notice board. I thought about where I would put it before I said yes, which is pretty impressive for me! Usually I would have just said yes! I thought it would fit perfectly on the wall in the hallway between the kids bedrooms. Mum and I had seen some awesome NZ themed fabric in Spotlight the day before so I knew exactly what I was going to cover it with. I think it looks so good in the hallway! I might need to change the colour of the washi-ed light switch cover to match though!

I am LOVING that my builder came and did this to my bathroom today!!! Sooo excited to be getting a new bathroom!!!!

While at the Warehouse this week the kids and I fell in love with these adorable Christmas Cat costumes. I didn't think the cats were going to be overly impressed with me dressing them up but I couldn't resist buying them.

Comet was surprisingly co-operative, Phoebe and Twinkles not so much!! But nawwww how cute is my little kitty!!

Speaking of costumes .....

Today is Halloween!!
Although Halloween isn't really a New Zealand tradition we have always celebrated it with the kids. Since they are 1/2 American I like to give them a taste of that side of their heritage. We don't trick or treat but we do have a Halloween party. This year due to camps and other such things our Halloween Party is going to be a week later than usual. But that doesn't stop us from decorating the house up!! I love having American family who send AMAZING care packages with the most amazing Halloween decorations! This witch is my favourite!! Thanks Mom!!!

Head on Over to Catalina's Cottage and share what you are loving this week!

Making my House a Home

Just over 2 years ago I became a 1st time home owner.
It was such a thrill to know that this house which I live in was mine and I could do whatever I wanted to it.

I fell in love with the quirkiness and character of this house.
It was built in 1945, the original part anyway. It was originally a 2 bedroom house but sometime in the 1980's an extension was added on.

When I moved in it was a 4 bedroom, two living room, 2 bathroom and an office house.

I have slowly been working away in making my house into my home.
I have re-done the Living Room, Riley's Room, Abbey's Room, the small bathroom, the office which is now a library, 2nd Living Room which is a playroom and added a laundry.
Just today the builders have started on the main bathroom.
I have also turned the double garage into the shop.

So I've been quite busy!!

I am going to start to share with you the process of each room makeover I have done.

I mainly want to do this to inspire you. This house has been done over by me and help from my Mum and Aunt.  The exceptions are the bathrooms which have been (and are been!) done by professional builders, plus the laundry was mostly builder done.

What I am trying to say is that if you set your mind to something, and if you really want to do it nothing should stop you. I have learnt so much doing all this stuff in the house. I have learnt how to paint and wallpaper, gib patch, plaster and many other things.

I have done things as cheaply as I could possibly find without being tacky and lame, well I think so anyway!!

So come on in and keep an eye out for my renovation posts coming soon!!!

Renovation Slump

I haven't talked or shared much about what is happening at my house due to a secret sorta project that I am hoping to share with you soon.
But
I am right in the middle of major house renovations.
I have builders here re-doing my two bathrooms, and they are also fixing some major leaking issues.
I am in the process of re-decorating the kids bedrooms and playroom, actually I am slowly getting around the whole house room by room.

The house is CHAOS and that is me being polite. When I am in the crazed decorating mode that is pretty much all I do for days. I make sure the kids are fed and that they have clean clothes and that is it, my housework is neglected and the place becomes a mess.
Last weekend I spent 4 straight days working on my daughters bedroom. Sanding walls, filling holes, painting, wallpapering, putting up curtain rails and curtains, it was a massive weekend.

It's hard, really hard. I am here on my own doing everything by myself. My Mum is amazing, she helps out a lot. She is my mentor and motivator.  But otherwise I am on my own.

I have a lot to do.
I am a solo-Mum, a cat owner, a cook, cleaner, housekeeper, shop-owner, renovator, scout & pippins volunteer, taxi, school volunteer, shopper, crafter, I'm sure I have forgotten other things.

It's crazy that I do ALL that and I still look around my house and feel like I am failing because the place is a mess.

Why is it I put so much pressure on myself to have everything perfect and to do so much with my day?
Why do I feel guilty every time I put my feet up and watch TV?

Where does the expectation come from?

I feel like I need to sit back and look at what I HAVE achieved rather than the things I haven't managed to do. I NEED to take time out for myself and my kids.
And as read others blogs and facebook status updates and talk to friends I realise I am NOT the only one who struggles to keep my house in order, and lots of those people aren't doing it on their own.

I need to be more proud of what I am doing and stop trying to live up to impossible expectations.

Food For Thought really.

Day 30 - A Photo Of Yourself Today + 3 Good Things that Have Happened in the Last 30 Days

I forgot that today was a photo taking day!! So as we sit in my bed watching TV after our baths, wearing our PJs I have taken a pic.

#1 - Holiday

We just got back this week from a two week holiday. I will do a proper post about this but it was definitely the best good thing that has happened in the last 30 days! Seeing my mates Nicola and Jennie and hanging out with them and their families was epic!

#2 - Attending my First ANAZC Day Dawn Parade

I have always wanted to go to one but never managed to drag myself out of bed to do so. But since Riley is now a Cub Scout and Abbey is a Pippin I figured it was time to make the effort. Had we been in Whangarei on ANZAC day they both would have joined their clubs in the parade so I thought we'd go while we were in Hastings instead. It was very emotional and amazing. I am really glad I went and will definitely be going again

#3 - House Renovations

I am gunning ahead with making this house MY house. Riley's bedroom is almost ready for painting and I have been talking to builders about a new bathroom and a few other things around the house (Library!!!) It's scary and exciting all at the same time! I am hoping to get carpet in the kids rooms and playroom before the weather gets too cold too. Lots of plans!

House Decorating Post #1 ~ Living Room

It was VERY exciting to begin the decorating/renovating of my house the week after Christmas. My Aunt came up from Auckland to help me out for a week and boy did she teach me a lot!! We painted and sanded, and filled, and bogged and did stuff I have never done before!! It was hard and fun and after 4 weeks I have almost finished the living room!!

So here are the before pics ....

The Fireplace

Opposite the fireplace, behind the couch is a feature wall kinda a dark browny/greyish colour.

You all know about my orange obsession so I picked up a few paint samples and played around with colours and ended up with two Dulux Colours of NZ colours. The first one I chose was called Rangataua and the 2nd colour was called Kauri Cliffs half.

We washed and sanded walls, skirting, door frames, scotia, windows & frames. We painted and wallpapered. There were 5 different pots of paint and several different rollers! With drop cloths, tools, paint, sandpaper etc etc etc everywhere it was chaos!

So here are the after photos .....

There are still some window fittings that need to go back on. I am planning on giving the fireplace hearth a makeover. The telephone table and my storage chest are also going to be fancied up a bit, so watch this space for more decorating/renovating to come!!! But at least my living room is livable again!!