Still here ....

It's been forever since I've blogged. Our lives are still far too hectic and really, there doesn't seem to have been much progress here at all to report!

I still haven't had much luck getting driveways/slabs in, still no battens, nor have we built mans-land (the shed) for the Darling Husband.  The gardens are still bare, but I have had a crack at getting rid of the lantana down the back! 
Exhausting stuff!  I promise to post some photos soon to really emphasise how ghastly it is!

And as for a fence, waste-not want-not, my Dear Mother replaced hers recently and had 17m of posts & palings to dispose of.  Whilst it isn't the fence we originally wanted, it is a wooden picket fence and well, in these economic times, I think we'll make do with it quite nicely.  There are some palings that we won't use, as they're either split or damaged, so there is still some expense with the buying of new palings and gates.  Mostly though, it will be weekends of effort - we'll need to sand them back and paint, then erect. 

I still haven't managed to sell the idea of outsourcing to the Dear Husband.  Too handy for his own good!

But, I do have a clothesline.  YAY!  Who would have thought that something so simple, would bring so much pleasure.

.. you're right, I need a life!


Suz x

 

Clawing back time

Both of my girls are active, very active.  They love sports and last year, they were doing an organised physical activity 5 days of the 7 - hockey, gymnastics, dance, tennis and swimming.



Gymnastics Carnival

This year, we've toned it down a little, concentrating on the more 'important' (to us) activities. 
One team sport, which requires 2 days committment (training/game), a fun individual sport (gymnastics) requiring 1 day training and the occasional fun non-competitive carnival and swimming  (our non negotiable), once per week.  I think this year we've struck a better balance, but we both work full time and I am planning on getting back into my study next semester.  Add an half hour drive to/from school each day, birthday parties, school activities ..  we still seem to be struggling with fitting in homework and play. 

So when do you find the time?  Are you super organised? Do you outsource?

We've not yet started on concreting a driveway, or under the house let alone battening it, nor have we erected a shed.  We haven't had time to do the fence, or start on the vegetable patch/orchard.  Heck, we're not even fully unpacked and sorted!  Problem with having a Dear Husband that's handy about the home, is that he wants to do the.lot!

Yesterday, I spent the full day cleaning!  *ugh*

And, in an attempt to protect the shower glass from water pitting or soap scum, I pre-cleaned, cleaned-again, applied, cured and polished all the bathroom glass.  *exhausted*  

the product

clean clean clean!

But I'm happy with the final result (not the best photo I admit!) - to watch the water bead and not stick to the glass was well worth it! Hopefully it means that I can cut back on the hours of cleaning to regain some quality family time!  

Have a lovely week ;-)

Suz x

And then there was ... SOLAR

So, one thing that the Dear Husband and I were adamant about, was to move towards a more sustainable lifestyle.  High on our list was a solar installation. Solar hot water was installed by the builder, but given our electricity bills are/were in the vicinity of $700/quarter we felt that any investment to reduce that bill, would be worthwhile.

We (ok, Dear Husband) researched inverters, panels and installers.  As luck would have it a dear friend used our front runner and provided invaluable feedback.  

Next step, the package - we were keen on the SMA inverters and phono panels, however apparently the SMAs are in short supply.  We were advised we'd be looking at waiting up until July at the very least before it was likely that some stock would be available in Australia.  Damn!

Based off of our installer's recommendation we had a further look at other inverters, including the Power-One Aurora.  Dear Husband who takes all things technical very seriously, insisted on researching it to make sure we weren't being told porkies (suspicious, much? Perhaps given recent experiences...).  Fortunately, Dear Husband was happy that the deal was still good and we proceeded with installation. 

A 5kW inverter is now attached to the meter box and 25 panels are affixed to the north-facing roof.  

Our 5Kw inverter

Phono panels, sucking up the sun juice ;-)

We've signed the contract to feed back to the grid and ran the system through its paces!  On went ovens, microwave, washing machine, dryer and computers along with the regular household items (TV, toaster, kettle etc) sitting on standby.  And, the meter box didn't tick over once!  We are producing more than we were using! WOOT!

Actually, by the calculations that have been done since installation, we'll produce in the vicinity of 16kWh on a normal Brisbane winter day.  In summer, that'll jump to 23kWh! That's ~7.5MWh per year!!

We've worked out that our $14K investment will be paid off in less than 5 years.  That's assuming that the power we generate will significantly reduce (hopefully wipe out) our electricity bills and return a slight income each year.

And much to our delight, just this weekend gone, it seems that we had a serviceman do *something* and we are now feeding back to the grid. YAY!

Suz x

Truly blessed

Nothing warms your heart more than 2 excited children trying to pamper you.  After all, they tell you, it's Mother's Day.

Woken by children's cold feet as they hide them between your legs after climbing into bed, dressed and donned in their Masterchef aprons, giving cuddles and kisses.  Designing menu plans, wrapping presents, putting finishing touches on the hand made cards; it's so heart warming. This love, that's what warms my heart.

And I know I am so blessed. 

As I sit here in bed, listening to the excitement and giggles that are happening in the kitchen, I can't help but think of those less fortunate; those women who have not had it easy with conception or pregnancy; for those women whose day will be filled with sorrow of lost hopes and dreams, of distant memories; and for those children who have lost their mothers. 

Extend your gift of love today and acknowledge these important women and the significance they've contributed to your lives.  Celebrate the matriachs that have contributed to who you are today. 

And if flowers and chocolates aren't your thing, how about these for Mother's Day gifts?

Unicef Gifts

Have a wonderful day!

Suz x

Still here, busying away

I've been absent, I know.

I promised an update on features, I know.  

I have been battling the Builder, still.  We are arguing over the variation for stone benchtops in the kitchen and the (my) calculation of liquidated damages.  The reality is, it's a couple of thousand dollars we are bickering over.  We could probably write it off, but it's the principle, y'know? 

I also love a good fight ;-P   And it is really challenging on the contract law, front.  Which I love. It's what I do at work (when I'm not referee-ing the internal politics!) and it's the reason I signed up to do a law degree ... which, I've not been terribly dedicated to of late (I've actually taken a brief hiatus).   But our contract issue has turned into a matter of dishonesty.  Fraud, actually.  An amendment occurred to a variation, post signing.  Following lots of discussions regarding, it seems it wasn't the builder, but the sales company who we signed the contract with (they sub the work out to the building companies who we then deal with and pay etc).

Now that it has been pointed out to the Builder, we are part way there.  We are however, still disputing the approval date given by the council (ridiculous, I know!).  

But, despite all that, Dear Husband and I have been madly trying to get time to do all the other things.  I think I have almost finished designing my vegetable patch, we've picked a fence and gate that we both agree on and we are starting to work out how we are going to design the path/garden between the front stairs and the pedestrian gate.  

This is what I'd love my vege garden to look like:
 

Courtesy of  http://kellymccaleb.tumblr.com/

I think I'd actually raise the garden beds a little, maybe 2 sleeper widths high.  I'd add some obelisks as features.  I was thinking of having some fruit trees beyond the fences at the back.  And there may actually be a need for a scarecrow - although I want something that is not so typically ghastly.  Am on the hunt for ideas...

And the front fence will hopefully look something like this:

We like the second top rail with feature paling as something a little different.  And in white, although we're a bit worried at how much white is featured on the house already.  Hopefully a lily pilly hedge will peak between the bottom rail and top rail to break up the whiteness, but I don't want it peaking way over the top like it is in the pic above.

And our fence will hopefully have these front gates, or something very similar:

 

 

The debate continues whether to have these on a sliding mechanism, or open as farm gates.  I prefer the latter but Dear Husband and the children like the idea of them sliding behind the fence.

And hopefully, we'll put in a cobblestone path to our front pedestrian gate.

I like this colour and style:

Courtesy of http://www.featurepics.com/

 Laid in a pattern similar to this, maybe even with a feature of some kind ....

 

Courtesy of http://www.split-rok.com

Dear Husband is also still keen to lay a concrete slab under the house, but wants an engineer to look over our plans - the hope is, if we get pipework laid and the concrete reinforced, we could build in underneath (down the track).

So obviously, still heaps to research and consider.  

It can be quite overwhelming but exciting all at the same time!

Suz x

A Queenslander

Dear Husband and I have always loved the Queensland architecture, particularly the "Queenslander" that pre dated the war.  Memories from our childhoods - visiting old towns graced with Queenslanders and playing with friends, either on the verandahs or under the house, or down (what seemed to be) endless, wide hallways.  Neither of us were lucky to live in one long term, but to this day we have always admired them.

So, when it came to building on a block of land in one of Brisbane's older suburbs, coupled with restrictions as a result of living in a water corridor and the design considerations that came with that, it wasn't a hard decision for us.  

The climate was the primary reason for the development of the Queenslander. The Queenslander was built on stumps (at varying heights) which allowed for air to pass under the home, providing respite from the heat of the day.   Balmy summer days with afternoon rains created a need for wide verandahs, as another important element.  Once impacted by the '74 floods, our land also had restrictions preventing habitable space under Brisbane's "Q100" flood line.  This immediately required us to build at minimum 1200mm off the land, so a stump-house was ideal. 

Queenslanders also enabled the outdoor lifestyle that Queenslanders (the people!)  are proud of.   Typically, the outdoor-spaces were framed with white posts, decorative balustrades and sweeps, along with internal features such as hall arches, decorative cornice, larger skirts and architraves.  Building a "Queenslander" was a labour of love - elements that Dear Husband and I poured over in the design of our house.  

We aimed for a minimalist-traditional effect; older styles coupled with modern functionality and materials. We haven't totally replicated the old-school styles, but we have incorporated elements where possible.  

There is still a lot to be done - concreting underneath, battening, increasing the length of what is typically arches (currently square cut - running across the front of the house below the bay windows), fences, gates, a letterbox (I'm missing out on the junk mail and local rag!!), gardening, insect screens, curtains, furniture!..... the list seems endless. 

I'll take some close-ups of the particular features this weekend; thoses ones that were must-haves for us and our mad reasoning for it!  Until next post ....

Suz x

Moving ..... yay!

We've moved.

We're living out of boxes, using a camp fridge and have mattresses on the floor, but we've moved  :D

The weather in Brisbane was dreadful this past weekend; how I wished for today's sunny skies!  We enlisted the help of my Dear Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law and between us, we got most of it either packed and moved into the house; or packed and moved to offsite storage, and suprisingly, no water damage!    (Note to self: arrange something special for our helpers who gave up their weekend and worked tirelessly to move us!)

And I have to say, I hate moving. 

I am overwhelmed by the number of boxes we have.  Overwhelmed by the idea of where I'm going to stick it all (where did it all come from?).  I am a hoarder and I am a sentimental sucker!  Boxes of bunnykins, swarovski crystal and ornamentals from when the girls were babies.  Boxes of clothes, because I WILL lose weight.  Sadly, most of it will be either out of fashion by the time I get back to that size, or deteriorate due to age!  One pair of aerobic exercise pants I found was from ..... (working out how many years since I've been that size) .... 12 YEARS AGO. 

I have a problem, don't I?!  Hoarders Anonymous Outed, anyone? 

So my post-moving checklist, just in case I ever move again ...

1.  Order a skip
2.  Reduce, reuse, recycle - if you haven't used it/worn it/admired it for 12 months, get rid of it!  Anything that can't be given away or sold, THROW OUT into the skip!
3.  Be organised (part i) & arrange truck/removalists/help, BEFORE THE WEEKEND YOU DECIDE TO MOVE!  Note to Dear Husband:  Check the weather forecast next time, too!
4.  Be organised (part ii) & have sufficient supplies of newspapers/butchers paper, masking tape and boxes.  There's nothing worse than doing a mad-dash to Bunnings because you've run out of the smaller sized box for heavy items!
5.  Pack room by room assuming you don't have bits strewn throughout the house due to storage shortage. Otherwise, pack for where it's going to go.
6.  Label the boxes - Room to go in and Contents.  If external help/removalists/friends etc are being used, don't label the box LOUIS VUITTON HANDBAGS & JEWELLERY!  Just-in-case.
7.  If you have children, movies and babysitters can be wonderful at this point in time.  My Dear Daughter ran into the side of the truck on her push bike, which was better than almost being crushed by a filing cabinet that tipped over.
8.  Dust/vacuum all furniture before it is loaded onto the truck and don't intefere in where it's being put.  Dear Husband tells me that boys' spacial awareness is better than girls; so in my experience, my best intentions in telling Dear Husband to stick-it-over-there! is not needed, or wanted!
9.  Put down non slip mats so that dirt doesn't get traipsed through the new house!
10.  Ensure the coffee machine is at one house, with the kettle at the other, along with the milk!  Plenty of refreshments should be served regularly along with pats on the back, to keep up morale.
11.  Make sure there is toilet paper and soap at the new house! In fact, I'd recommend doing a full shop!
12.  Unload directly into the room listed on the box.  No questions.  Noooo ... don't put it there Dear, stick it in the room that the box was labelled with, thank you :)
13.  Take a moment, because the Oh-My-Holy-Snappin'-Duck-Shit! moment is about to hit when you realise it has only just started, and you've got to unpack it all....

Once the house doesn't look like a bomb has hit it, I'll even post some photos.

Have a lovely week, all!


Suz  x