Happy Birthday to Moi!

This year I choose no candle counting...

(At least I'm not as old as I will be next year!)

x KL

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Heart felt catch-up

Well, its been an action packed few weeks here. 

After my last post, I had an emergency dash to hospital with some serious cardiac problems. Although I've had a dodgy ticker since birth, and have had two open heart surgeries, this episode seriously scared me. Lots of intravenous drugs and a  few thousand joules later (cardioversion) and I was home feeling better; to then succumb to pneumonia. WTF? 

Add a near fatal car incident too...if the last paragraph doesn't have you agreeing with my cussing...

Anywho... forced bed rest has me now feeling 110%. My cardiologist has remixed my meds. My new car has been returned to the manufacturer for investigation. I have organised my Will, and appointed a Power of Eternity and Enduring Guardian. (W A Y overdue...so a good thing) and been prompted to really contemplate what's important in life!

It's ALL GOOD. 

In perspective. 

I'm still here....

...and I'm counting my blessings. 

Normal house-y post transmissions will resume ASAP!

x  KL

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Needs. Wants. A fine line.

Well, I've been trying to walk that thin line for a few months and, oops!

  I kinda crossed it a few times....

I've pre-ordered three of these stools (not available till Nov / Dec unfortunately) for the lower deck area to sit up against the bar. Whilst they're not modern nor made for outside, they are the right height, are pretty 'classic' style wise, will be undercover and should add some textural warmth to the pool area. I've been looking for the 'perfect' stool for this spot for two years and I loved these as soon as I saw them. The rattan will hopefully withstand wet-tog-bottoms too!

This large Juju purchase was definitely a wee bit naughty. I have a white one that I was planning to hang in the lounge but this rare-coloured black / blue had me smitten. Not sure where I'll hang her, I've definitely got multiple spots it would look stunning

I've just collected my Ian Baguskas print 'Waiting', from the framers. I love its subtle colours but am kicking myself that I hesitated and missed out on one of the larger-sized releases.

Added a 'Botanical' motif plate to my Spode Blue Room collection of dinner plates. So pretty!

This Springbok cushion belongs with me. I know, we are going to be very happy together.
It arrived so beautifully wrapped that I felt like I'd received a present. (Don't think hubby will feel the same way when he sees the bank statement though) LOL!

HAD to buy these nifty wire baskets in Rose Gold and Black. At $12 each from Kmart you better get your skates on! Have you seen the rest of Kmart's newest homewares range? I wanted just about one of everything!

Can't wait to get more of the house finished so I can actually start decorating with some of my goodies!

x KL

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you'll call me crazy ...

Whilst we are on a roll to complete our contemporary home, David and I spotted this wet and forlorn chair on a council collection pile down the road from us. The property was recently sold and suffered some damage in the recent storms.

I don't know why someone would discard such a beautiful chair. ? 

The frame is sturdy and the seat comfortable. Apart from the wet and worn upholstery, it's in good condition. Perfect for a new lease of life...

 What a fun little project to do between all the work required in finishing the ENTIRE house. 

Ba ha ha!!!!

All suggestions, how-to's, comments and links warmly welcomed!

x KL

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Bits & Bobs of my Blogging Hiatus!

It's been super busy around here lately...not so much with house progress unfortunately, but with life!

Poppy Project, Rotary Park GOSFORD

 After the horrendous fortnight of severe storm weather late last month, ANZAC day memorials were fortunately, appropriately spectacular.

Dawn Service with Gallipoli landing re-enactment at TERRIGAL

We went to Sydney in the afternoon to spend the remainder of the ANZAC weekend with Japanese friends who were visiting Sydney for the final few days of their whirlwind trip to Oz.

The last time I saw Nozomi was when she was billeted with us as an exchange student, 12 years ago!

My girls have visited her in Japan several times, so it was nice to be able to reciprocate her always generous hospitality. We met her mother too, who was her traveling companion. She kindly hosted my eldest daughter when she was an exchange student in Japan. Shizuko spoke no English, but we immediately had a strong  connection, and had a really fun weekend!

We had a lovely Mother's Day here, with our nest leavers visiting and spoiling me with a beautiful lunch. We took the opportunity to celebrate my daughter's boyfriends birthdays too, a 21st and 25th!
Love the photo below of the boys and Davo having a wee 'nanna nap' after the effort of making lunch!

It was disappointing to miss seeing my own mother as she (along with my father!) was isolated in hospital with pneumonia. They have both been so very sick, but are on the mend now, thank God!

Me dispensing lots of TLC to poor Mum!

 My son has become a teenager too (Eeeek!) so the birthday celebrations continued!
13! Where has that time gone!!!!?

Three 13th Birthday Celebrations...two to go!!!

Would never had foreseen that my baby (seen below playing PS1 with his sister) would be building his own customised PC for his thirteenth birthday!

And David's birthday is this Saturday. May's a very busy birthday month!

I've been back to hospital for some minor surgery which seems to have been unsuccessful. 

Hopefully I wont now need major surgery, but that's looking like a distinct possibility. Bugger.
Can still laugh at getting older though:

 

Progress on the house front is slow, as usual. One day a week is just not enough time for David to get any consistent work done, so we're considering employing some subcontractors to help. We have previously viewed this as a waste of our capitol (paying someone else to do what David can do for free) but we're both impatient to get the house finished. To this end we are obtaining quotes for the remaining work....

Carpet options. Decisions, decisions!

Hopefully, the second half of the year will be full of progress (YOTH15!) and frequent 'pretty pics' on the blog front as we complete areas.

Fingers and toes!!!!!

x KL

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asystole

a·sys·to·le

(ā-sistō-lē)

Absence of contractions of the heart.
Synonym(s): cardiac standstill.

[G. a- priv, + systolē, a contracting]

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

The Strand by Whiting Architects (2015 Australian Interior Design Awards)

 Many about the ol' blogosphere use the phrase "Be still my beating heart" to describe their reaction to a particularly gorgeous image. 

Nah. Not me.

My ticker skips a beat.

How perfect is this lounge room? !!!!!

H E A R T S T O P P I N G....(in my humble opinion)

*Sigh*

 x KL

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well, that was wild...

 Today the sun is shining and it is a perfect Autumn day. 

Such a dramatic change from a few days ago when the Central Coast, along with Sydney, the Hunter and Illawarra areas were struck by a ferocious storm. Cyclonic winds downed trees and power poles, sparking mass blackouts, with some areas still without power.

Torrential rain and gusts of up to 135km/h whipped up massive seas that smashed yachts into matchwood whilst widespread flooding closed roads and schools. 

My son had one day back at school after the Easter holiday before the storm hit on Monday evening. The pictures above are of his school which only re-opened today. 

 The Central Coast is surrounded by magnificent waterways where many moor their boats. They called the winds Cyclone Category Two and they ripped  many vessels from their moorings causing extensive damage.

 Whilst we are very exposed to the weather at La Hacienda, being situated at the top of an ocean cliff, we survived well. Three days without power was challenging for a gaming obsessed boy though so we went and purchased a Generator. I have never seen so much joy from reconnecting with the T.V. and the net!

And in typical 'Murphy's Law' style, our power was restored the next day! LOL!

Storm Troopers on clean-up duty. He he.

x KL

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Valentine's Day Truth

x KL

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You are very welcome and encouraged to comment, I love receiving feedback!

Christmas. Take 11.

Well, THAT was a depressing post! I'd actually decided to post some of my better gift ideas and somehow went off on a tangent. Funny how good intentions can derail like that!

Anywho, thankfully the pessimism I felt pre-Christmas eventually lifted.

 I decorated the tree. Wrapped pressies and organised food and family. 

My monochromatic + metallic theme was sabotaged by Santa's wrapping!

 We had two Christmas's.The first was with Mum and Dad on December 23rd (also Dad's birthday) where I made a really simple Aussie style, mango and chicken salad, served with king prawns, fresh bread rolls and followed with pav. Easy peasy lunch for ten!

Then we celebrated here with the children and their partners on Christmas Eve with a more traditional European baked dinner of turkey, lamb and chicken, peas, roasted veggies and lashings of gravy. 

Luckily the weather was cool and forgiving! This is the first hot Christmas meal I have ever prepared for a large number and it was surprisingly easy; I had all day to prep (hubby generously helped) and roast the larger pieces of meat and then we served it on platters so everyone could help themselves. There was very little left - which is always a good sign!

our Christmas Eve table

Desert was macerated fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries) in brandy snap baskets (Shh...store bought ones) with brandy infused whipped cream and ice cream + a mini Flake chocolate in each! Yum. All pre-prepped and put together to serve in less than 5 minutes. (Yup; I'm no cordon bleu!)

We then opened presents on Christmas morning while eating croissants and mini egg / bacon and feta pies I'd made the day before so the older children could scoot to their partner's family luncheons. 

And we got a real surprise gift from Santa!

As this was our first year with all 'knowing' children...we tried to add some fun for our 12 year old by getting him involved in the Chrismas Eve, Santa arrival prep. This included making e-mail videos through PNP for the older children, who J decided to nominate as on the the 'naughty' list. (Yup. He's 12. And a boy. LOL!)

Imagine our surprise on Christmas morning on finding alien wrapped gifts for us all in our stockings from Santa! We were on the 'naughty' list too with chunks of coal* inside!

BEST present ever! Still LMFAO!

*Without channeling Scrooge, I'll quietly note that daughter #2 is currently dating a miner!

Merry Christmas!
 

x KL

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Liebster

 The Leibster Blog Award is a fantastic idea created to promote and support new blogs.

 I follow Jess from A Little Part of The World, who recently received this award. She in turn, generously nominated me.

Now, I don't consider myself as a 'new' blogger, having surpassed my 4 year blog anniversary and 500th post. Also, I was nominated for this award almost exactly three years ago, twice! (HERE) Back then, the Leibster was sans questions, so it has morphed a little as it has been passed about! I do however always welcome new readership and love finding new blogs to follow, so here we go!

The rules that came with this nomination were:

1. Link back and recognise the blogger who nominated you.
2. Answer ten questions given by the nominator.
3. Nominate ten other bloggers for the award.
4. Create ten questions for nominees to answer.
5. Notify your nominees.
6. Get an award button and display it proudly.

 My answers to questions from Jess:

What is your greatest fear? 
Poking myself in the eye with a needle when sewing by hand. Weird, I know!

What is your earliest memory?

The hullabaloo I caused shoving a Flatsy Doll into the suction tube of a ventilator when I was four. I'd had heart surgery and broke the machine. Oops!

When was the last time you had a really good belly laugh?

Last night. My man-boy who's taller than me at 12, came screaming out of the laundry because he saw his own reflection in the dark window. Still chuckling!

Have you ever broken a bone? If so, what and how?

Yes my toe. I dropped a scythe on it whist teaching in Papua New Guinea.

Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla?

Vanilla

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Weird. My son asked me this last week. I was told creating peace and wish-giving were not super powers... so - To be able to heal things.

What is your dream holiday destination?

I miss my three 'nest leavers' so much; so anywhere we are together

What do you want for Xmas?

One, stress free dinner with all my family together without rush or deadlines imposing.

What’s your favourite type of music?

Eclectic. I like it all!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Where I am...but in a finished house!

My nominations are:

1. Natalie from In The Night Sky
2. Laura from Elsee
3. Trish from A Dream House for Trish
4. Giulia from Something Gorgeous
5. Toni from Something Gorgeous
6. Johanne from House by the Water
7. Heidi from Adelaide Villa
8. Shielzy from My Hudson
9. Leanne from Lime & Mortar
10. Treacy from Our Forever Home

And my questions are:

1. What is your earliest memory? (It's a good one Jess!)

2. How many homes have you lived in?

3. What do you love most about blogging?

4. How would your mother describe you?

5. In five words describe your interior style

6. Current obsessions?

7. What's your most cherished possession?

8. Name three things you're grateful for

9. What are you passionate about?

10. Describe your perfect Christmas

Thanks again Jess for your nomination!

If you're looking for some new reading material / inspiration, check out Jess' blog and those I nominated too!

x KL

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 You are very welcome and encouraged to comment, I love receiving feedback!

A Tour Through Blogland

The lovely Natalie from In The Night Sky has nominated me to join A Tour Through Blogland. Natalie's blog is a favourite of mine, not only because she shares my love of Black and White interiors but because her posts are always an informative, warts n' all description of renovating. And her design aesthetic is inspirational too!

Anyhow...here's my wee tour via answering four questions:

1. What am I working on?

ATM, probably too many projects at once! Trying to make some progress on our house is always top of the list but, like many others, time and money are in short supply!

To be more specific though: Finishing painting the walls in the lounge / dining area. Trying to find my lost mojo for a large painting that I started. Organising the underfloor heating for the main bedroom en suite and upstairs powder room. Finalising colour specifications for a client project. Designing some custom cabinetry for the new bathrooms, hall and laundry.

2. How does my work differ from others in the DIY / Decorating genre?

Unfortunately the pace of my project is so abysmally slow that if you read a post once a year you'd probably catch-up pretty quickly. I find that frustrating and fill in the 'blanks' with inspirational material, client projects, family life and shopping finds!

3. Why do I write what I do?

Like Natalie, I often wonder why I blog and recently I have been toying with the idea of deleting my site entirely. I do enjoy posting when I can, it is a personal 'diary' in many ways but sometimes I wonder if having my life online is a bit too invasive. Most of my friends and family aren't aware of my blog and I like it that way. I feel very uncomfortable with the thought of anonymous spying but love reading other's renovating blogs and contributing to that pool of information regarding experiences.  I make no money from blogging but get an enormous amount of pleasure from reading others opinions, comments and reactions to my posts.

 
4. How does your writing/creating process work?

 

Finding time is obviously necessary. Then, with a post idea formulated, I'll go searching my own computer files, Pinterest and Google for images after which I'll write the content. Sometimes I'll have a few ideas which I jot down but usually I only post when I want to and I have a clear topic. It is time consuming but now I've mastered most of the mechanics it is much easier.

 

  It's my turn now to nominate two blogs:

Adelaide Villa 

 

Heidi is an Architect, Interior Designer, Mother of three, Cook, Baker, Reader, Gardener, Fashion Lover, Renovator, and Writer of random things in South Australia! She is a talented writer whose posts are varied in content and substantial in quality. Her home renovation posts are my favourites; full of generous information and tips for others.

  Elements @ Home

 

Kristie is a Professional Blogger. She is also an Interior Stylist, Colour Consultant and full time Mummy and Wife. She has just finished building house number 4 and has renovated 7 in the last 11 years. I love how varied her posts are and have particularly enjoyed following her latest build project.  

Pop over and see why I nominated them...and don't forget to take a peep at In the Night Sky too!

Thank you Natalie for the invitation to be part of A Tour Through Blogland!

 

x KL

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You are very welcome and encouraged to comment, I love receiving feedback!

Goodbye 2013...

The time has come to farewell another year. 

2013 has been a mixed bag for us, with lots of highs but also a few terrible lows, one of which was the sad passing away of David's father.

David and I celebrated our 50th birthdays, whilst daughter No. 2 celebrated her 21st and moved out of home. Mum turned 80 and we had a few months worrying about Dad's health but after some recent successful surgery, his recovery is looking very positive.

S, David and J learnt to knit!

The house plastering was completed this year, and we added a walk-in linen cupboard, main bathroom, guest bedroom ensuite and outside pool W.C to the list of finished rooms. I had an entertainment unit custom made and installed and started a coffee table project.

I shared a few client's projects with you, the most exciting one being Mum and Dad's home renovation. Oh, and David's Avoca Beach Project making the cover of a major magazine. That was pretty awesome too!

That pretty much sums up this year....

Thank you for following my blog, taking an interest in my life and home construction, and for taking the time to leave much appreciated comments when you can.

2014  here we come!

x KL

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Bits & Bobs....again!

 My blog has definitely been neglected lately. Just been Busy. Busy. Busy!

It seems that when I do have time to post, it's a 'catch-up' of all the Bits & Bobs that have been happening....anyways, here's another...

1. A visit to my parents on Sunday became a belated, surprise family celebration of David and my 50th birthdays. Mum, my daughter S and sister LL went all out. Very special.

2. The Tree is up, the lights in place and a gold tree skirt circa 1984 (!) was de-moth-balled!  Decoration next...

3. My new tree from The Twig in Terrigal has acquired its Uashmama bottom, as posted HERE. Wish I'd bought the XL size....the large is not quite big enough to scrunch properly. I had planned this as the Christmas table centrepiece but it's too big. Perfect though for the new entertainment unit!

4 & 5. More Christmas pressies. Rachael Ruddick Como leather clutch on sale for $230 $139! Triple J compilation and another male gift ticked off! Yee Ha! Only a few now to go! 

6. Too-good-to-be-true, authentic Prada clutch from U.S retailer. Yup, saw me coming... Eeeek!

7 & 8. Been busy eBaying J's outgrown toys. End of an era. *sob*

9. Etsy purchase. Similar to advert. Bought knowingly faux. Love it anyhow!

x KL

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 You are very welcome and encouraged to comment, I love receiving feedback!

 If you enjoy my ramblings, perhaps consider following by Email, Bloglovin' or Google+.

 Join this site via Google Friend's Connect so I can follow you too!

Holidays...

*Framed my Typo T-Towel (Thxs for idea Katrina!) *We have a hand towel rail! *Mum's 50 yo bathroom tile framed as a reno momento. *The mirror bedsides have made it upstairs!

 The school holidays have finished here in NSW and J has returned to school, unfortunately without much enthusiasm. We had a very lazy two weeks at home. 

Lots of leisurely sleep-ins and pj mooching!

We got a few small chores knocked over and some arty projects completed.

 J and I ventured into Sydney and stayed in Newtown at my daughter's flat for a few days. She cooked up a storm and pampered us no end...We took J to Luna Park on the windiest day... it was looking tired but provided us with lots of fun, nonetheless. The bumper cars and giant slides being faves with J and S's BF, M.

I stuck to laughing at myself in the warping mirrors!

What did you get up to in the holidays?

x KL

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obsessing over....

 I've admitted to this before, but I'll be honest again....
Do you get a fixation on any one item for months at a time?
(Maybe it's just me....) Eeeeek!

Once upon a time, I owned no mirrors other than those fixed in the bathrooms. Then one day I saw a beautiful Venetian Mirror and became obsessed. Every time I saw a beautiful mirror it came home with me....(some I've posted about before HERE). And 20 odd mirrors later, I was done*. Disinterested and onto the next 'thing'! Scary eh! ? LOL!

*I may have recently ordered two mirrored bedside tables. Like these: He he!

Domayne Optical bedside in clear

Well my latest obsession is Bone Inlay. I just can't get enough of the stuff! 

I think if I had the money to buy one large piece then the desire for more might have waned. Maybe. 

Instead, I've gathered lots of bits and bobs, mostly black and white, but some mother-of-pearl and grey too.

*sigh*

This obsession might be on the way out though....I've started to thinking about standard lamps endlessly, though haven't purchased any...
...yet.

x KL

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