Tips for Renovating a Small Ensuite on a Budget When we put our house on the market the plan was to downsize and buy a low maintenance modern home that was move in ready, so we could focus on our children and their busy schedules and our business. So, you can imagine the shock at signing a contract on a 2-acre home that required a full renovation. We have been living here for 5 years now and in that time, we have built a nanny flat for my mum and we have lived in the house. Of course every good renovation must be well lived in, so you can understand what will work for your family needs. Although at times it has felt overwhelming, (an understatement) seeing the results of our hard work has made it worthwhile and rewarding. Our ensuite was leaking into the wardrobe and when we started to rip up the tiles there were vines growing out of the waterproofing! Our home remodel would not suit a contemporary style, due to location and the age of the home, so we are working towards a modern country style with some quirky styling on a budget. The ensuite is […]
A visit to the Bribie Island Butterfly house is a must if you visit the Northside of Brisbane. Situated on Bribie Island, it is a lovely day out, and combining your visit with a walk along the beach and lunch will fill in your morning or afternoon beautifully. Butterfly house has now been in operation for just over a year and on a sunny day you can expect to see up to 100,000 butterfly’s taking flight. A community project aimed at increasing the butterfly population on Bribie Island, their goal is to bring people together with a love and interest of butterflies to this not for profit tourist destination, with all profits given to charity. We have had the privilege to visit the butterfly house at Coffs Harbour as well, and although the Bribie Island house is not as big, it is just as beautiful. An ideal place to learn all about the different species as well as see the lifecycle of butterflies in action. An hour to an hour and a half is all you need to visit the butterfly house, it is lovely just to sit and watch quietly. It is also an ideal spot to get magical […]
It’s the first day back at school today and I made up a batch of my kids favourite cookies for afternoon tea and treats for the week. My husband and son love jam drops and my two daughters love chocolate chip. This cookie recipe is so delicious. It is such a great starter base and you can add anything you like such as chocolate chips, jam, chocolate drops, freckles and any other combination you can imagine. They are quick to whip up and are a sure hit. I really don’t like buying cookies, I tried many different recipes until I found one I was happy with. Making my own I know exactly what is in them, and this recipe can be modified to a healthier version using wholegrain flour or omitting the sugar for honey and they still work just as well they are just a softer biscuit. The recipe even makes a fantastic edible cookie dough if you take out the raw egg. Ingredients: 150 grams of softened butter ½ a cup of caster sugar ½ a cup of brown sugar 1tsp of vanilla extract 1 egg 1 ¾ plain flour Jam, chocolate drops, chocolate melts or freckles Method: […]
Why the Thai cave rescue moved me. In a world where we have a lot of fear at times, terrorist fear, political fear, bigotry fear, racial fear, and even fear of online bullying and social bullying. The past two weeks the world has demonstrated a huge amount of compassion, we have come together to ensure the recovery and safe return of the 12 boys and their coach to their parents and loved ones. The incident this past few weeks has moved me, of course, it has moved most of us, but as a mother with two children who fit the age range of the children in the cave, I couldn’t help but feel for the loved ones. I have been in awe of how Thailand has put the privacy of the boys, coach and loved ones as a priority. The boys have shown such resilience, but most importantly the coach has done the most wonderful job in keeping the boys alive, calm (showing them how to meditate) and he has gone without food. Through all this search and rescue attempt the highlights for me have been: Love So much love globally, so many people have shown compassion, they have […]
Living the Invisible After diagnosis, we spent a few years getting my sons medication right. He was having daily seizures and so he was on anti-seizure medication for a few years, some worked for a time and then they would stop so his neurologist team would increase the dose or add new medications. There was a time when he was on three anti-seizure meds twice a day, and these still did not work. When my son started preschool he was drugged out, he was unable to retain information or learn. We were at the hospital emergency department every other day, and it was at one of these visits that I suggested to the team what would happen if we took him off all medication and just carried an emergency medication? Luckily one of the neurologists agreed and decided to give it a go. He has not been on anti-seizure medication since. We carry emergency medication where ever he goes, in case, I know we are lucky, other children are not as lucky. He still has seizures however the most common type tends to be absent seizures which are hard to medicate. We are very lucky that the other types of […]
I will never be a minimalist I love all things pretty shiny and sentimental. We are in the process of renovating our home and my current project is the study and through this process I am sifting through a lot of stuff. I have been putting it off for a long time (my eldest is 14!) Now is the time to make a start. I, like so many other mums, have so many photos, art works and trinkets argh, it is crazy. It continues to be a big process.
Since making a start, I have come across a lot of things from my childhood. Items like my old girl guide uniforms, school uniforms and year books and stamp collections. It got me thinking why on earth would I hold onto my old uniforms? Do other people have their old uniforms?