A Fresh Start

It's 2014! A new year, a new beginning, a fresh start.

I have started the new year with a blog revamp & am loving it! Big thanks to Sharnee at Suck My Lolly for making it look fab.

I've never been big on resolutions, mainly because I can't stick to them, but this year for me is about focusing on my Home & Family.

We have so many plans for the house this year, some of which are already coming together with our backyard revamp underway. This year is about making our house a home and I can't wait to show you all of our projects.

We have our first family holiday planned this year (just a couple of months away) and we are heading to Fiji! I can't wait to make lots of wonderul memories as a family on this trip. 

Having returned to work 3 days a week, I plan to make the most of the time I have with my boys. I see lots of adventures ahead! 

2014 for me is also about positivity & happiness. I'm really going to make the effort to be more positive about everything this year & eliminate all the negative people around me. Life really is too short to be worrying about what other people think or trying to make people happy.  Happiness is your own creation. 

Lastly, I would like to thank you, lovely readers for taking the time to follow this little blog. I look forward to sharing my journey in 2014 with you all.

How's 2014 looking for you?

Got any big plans?

Have you been to Fiji? Got any tips for us? 

Til next time,

Mel xx

Our Big Boy Turns Three

It was really quite hard to believe that William was turning three already!! How the time flies! He is such a fun-loving, outgoing, sweet boy who is loved by so many. 

Here's how we celebrated...

He insists on pulling these crazy faces when getting his photo taken!

The weather was perfect & we celebrated well into the late afternoon with friends & family.

Details on how I created our Cars themed party in the next blog post.

Til then,

Mel xx

Making a Guest Room

With three out of the four of us celebrating our Birthdays in the next couple of weeks, we needed to get a space sorted for my parents who will be coming to visit at different times, starting with my dad arriving at the end of is week.

We have a small area near our main bathroom that we decided to transform into a guest room. It will also be a place for Ben to sleep when he is on midnight shift & needs to sleep during the day as it is away from the main living/dining area.

So, this is our guest room...



Most of the items in here were things that I already had around the house.

The bed had been sitting in storage & I purchased the quilt cover & sheet set from Target for around $50. The throw rug & cushion were items I pulled from elsewhere in the house.



I got this folding table from the local thrift shop, as well as the lamp, which I had sitting in a spare room out on the farm. The basket with goodies (hand cream, body lotion etc) was on sale at Target. The green jar & fake roses came from a local hardware store that also sell home decor.



I love this bag! I picked it up on my last trip to Sydney. The button heart wall art also came from the local thrift shop(on sale!)



I bought a couple of blank canvases, also from the local thrift shop (love that place!) & covered them in some fabric I had lying around from previous sewing projects.

I think the room has come up well & I only spent around $70 for the all the decor.

Can't wait for our visitors to arrive now!

What do you think of our guest room?

Til next time,

Mel xx

Moving On

A little over two months ago, we made the move from farming life to suburbia.

While we are still waiting for the farm to sell, we have happily settled into town life. We love all the conveniences (take-away, ducking down the street for milk, dining out) & it's so nice to spend the weekends catching up with friends, playing golf or heading to the park.

So, let me introduce you to our little home in the burbs.

While it's no palace & needs a little work, we love our little space...

 

Can't wait to use that pool!! 

Hope you enjoyed this little tour of our home.

Have you moved recently?

Do you dream of a tree change or a sea change?

Til next time,

Mel xx

Mother's Day 2013

So I know Mother's Day was over a week ago but, better late then never right?

Mother's Day this year was a really enjoyable one for me. It was my third one but it was the first year that Ben didn't have to work & we could actually celebrate.

While I didn't get the sleep in that I really wanted, the boys spoilt me with lots of love & some lovely presents. We hit the golf club for breakfast & it was a gorgeous day.

It was so nice to just hang out as a family & enjoy the day. Unfortunately I don't get to see my mum on Mother's Day as the distance doesn't allow it but it's nothing a phone call can't fix :)

Presents :)

Ready to head off for breakfast

My mum (on our wedding day) 

Hope your Mother's Day was just as wonderful.

Til next time,

Mel xx

Showtime

Living in a country town, the local show weekend is something we always look forward to. Not that it's anything spectacular, but it's nice to get out and be part of the community. And now that William is that little bit older, I have to admit that I was quite excited about the fact that he might attempt his very first show rode this year!

We ended up having such a fun afternoon, catching up with some friends & letting the kids run wild. Watching all the horse events & the woodchopping.

And, of course, sideshow alley....

[caption id="attachment_37" align="alignnone" width="224"] Ready for some fun![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_40" align="alignnone" width="224"] Love a bit of Mickey[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_41" align="alignnone" width="224"] Taking it all in[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_42" align="alignnone" width="300"] Proud mummy moment - his first show ride![/caption]

Can't wait to see both the boys enjoy next year's show!

Do you attend your local show?

What's your favourite show ride??

Til next time,

Mel xx

Reinventing the Old

I have had this dresser since I was a little girl. It originally had a mirror on the top but when we found out that our second child was to be a boy, we removed the mirror & put it in on the wall of our new bedroom. The dresser now sits in Angus' room, housing all of his clothes & I have been itching to make it more boyish, but the thought of doing all of the prep work for the makeover just wasn't appealing to me.

That was until I discovered Chalk Paint. Not to be confused with Chalkboard Paint, it was given its name because of the chalky, matte finish it gives. So i jumped online at gracesgoodies.com.au to pick out a colour. There were SO many to chose from but I ended up with Greek Blue. It arrived within a few days and I was ready to go!

Now, the BEST ting about Chalk Paint is that there is NO PREP TIME required! None at all!! You just slap it on to whatever you like. It sticks to plastic, stone, concrete & metal AND you can also use it to paint walls & floors.

I took me about an hour to do the first coat at lunch time & I did the second coat that night. And it was done! TOO EASY.



First coat

[caption id="attachment_28" align="alignnone" width="300"] Second coat[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_29" align="alignnone" width="300"] Complete![/caption]

I LOVE IT! Can't wait to start my next Chalk Paint project!!

Til next time,
Mel xx