Outside update

Last week brought a front fence and a front balcony. YAY!

and a drive way

Which then made us have to actually unpack boxes so we could get the cars in the garage and off the road. As we have found that new empty housing estates make great weekend racing areas.
The cars come up and check out the gorgeous views and then decide to race side by side each other along the street.
It hasn't happened to often as the estate has a security driver that is always around but it does happen.
We have had a few trees knocked over in the street before we moved in from crazy drivers.

The boys were a great help. NOT

We made room for one car. So that is a start.
I have heaps of things to sell. So until i do that the garage will be used as storage.
I sold the lounge James is sitting on in 2 hrs on Online Garage Sales Gold Coast for $200. It was a 2 seater and a 3 seater. BARGIN as it was in excellent condition. I also sold a washing machine for $150 and a bar fridge for $70.
Plenty more to go...

I have discovered the Panorama options on the iPhone. Going a little over board with it but i think it is really cool.

Still waiting on that mirror splash back.

Oh and i had a birthday.

I got a new kettle & toaster. My mum was surprised with that, as she said that isnt a birthday present she would like to receive. But that's what i wanted when asked.

I went out for lunch with my friend Megan and came home to a yummy caramel mud cake.
That is all i need on a birthday.

A rare family shot.

Kids have been enjoying the outdoor building site and i found them on the trampoline the other day. I had to close my eyes.
As i friend said "20 years ago we wouldn't worry about this but these days we freak out"

I watched my youngest one and his mate play out the front with the good old game that i used to play with the hose. They were using a plumbing pipe. Remember we used to spin around with it while the other had to jump over it. Great game...

While i then thought they were just out the front laughing and having fun. I found them having fighting games with texters and marking each other with texter including their clothes.
Later that evening i went across the road to take the dog for a wee and saw that they had drawn all over the concrete footpath with texter.

Here he is scrubbing it all off.

This week brings the pool guys back to start the completion of the pool. The snooker room brick work and slab. The footpaths and side fences.

Still no sign of the painter. We had the plaster guys come back yesterday to patch up all the holes and mistakes.
Apparently plasterers hate painters and painters hate plasterers.
They blame each other. Frankly i don't give a dam. Just finish the job and get the hell out!

I have my eye on a buffet that i need to twist my husbands arm a bit more to get the deal across the line.

Kids are just in from the bus so gotta go.

Pen x

The week that was.

It has been one of those weeks.

I will start with the good.

I am rising at 450am most mornings and heading off for a walk at 5am. I meet a friend near her place at 530am. Just having someone to meet helps me get up and go...
We then head back my way. It is hills all the way around so it is a great walk.
I am back home just past 6am to then jump in the shower and be ready for the day.
Kids are now on the bus so they are all out of the house by 745am.

Mr Kookaburra.

This is a walking track directly behind our place.

I got swooped by these stupid Plubber birds on the small intersection you can see in this pic. The birds were like jet fighter planes coming at me in all directions. I woke the street up that morning at 5am with my screams. lol 

The back view of our house. The outdoor entertainment/snooker room has the footings down and should be complete by mid Nov

Here comes Kylie to meet me.

My almost home track

Lance our brickie is a fantastic worker. He always has a smile on his face. Need to have more tradies around like him for sure.

Love my curtains - i swore i was not going to do this...But i am still mucking around with quotes..I best decide soon as Xmas is coming ;)

Then we have a PAINTER

Need i say more...

My glass balustrade was completed inside.

Still waiting on him to come back and do the outside now! Wouldn't you just finish the job?

I didn't want this end piece of glass but after much thought we decided it would be a safer option.

I received a few new goodies:

It will never be this clean again :( Let me know your tips if you have any

We need a degree to work this

Just need the plumber to move the hole at the back higher so it fits flush.

Then last Friday night Jack played his first ever basketball game. It is a summer comp that runs for 10weeks. WOW i loved every minute of it.
He didn't know any players and really looked the part.
Never did i know 'this kid can throw baskets' He was getting 2 pointers & even a couple of 3 pointers.
He is number 7. Check him out!

On that Friday the 12 October we remembered all that lost their lives in Bali...

My parents and Davids parents are very good friends. I grew up with David and his sister Jane. David is very sadly missed by so many.

Oh how the small things in life that we complain about ie: my painter included are all so insignificant.

Just love always

Pen x

We are IN....

Yay! We finally made it.

It has almost been one month since my last blog post. So you are in for a ride.

After much anticipation we moved in on Friday 28th Sept. Well really Thursday 27th.
We were suppose to move in the Friday earlier but at the final hr the carpet hadnt arrived and the plumber wasn't finished. So we had another week in the apartment.
So by 11pm on the Thursday 27th and after plenty of begging from the kids we all slept in our room on freshly layed carpet.

I had the worst nights sleep but it was memory making stuff as we all layed in bed (well actually the floor)  chatting to each other while looking at the Gold Coast skyline to well past 1am.

So with the house almost complete inside i now feel like i am renovating and not living in a new home. I am keeping all the new furniture i have ordered on hold untill EVERY tradie is OUT! Fingers crossed it will be a few more weeks.

Waiting on my mirror splash back and new fridge.

I enjoyed watching all the men put this light together. Many frustrated men!

Main bedrooms bath

Thank GOD for our local Zarraffas coffee shop - owed buy our friends Darren & Deanne Marek - For all the times the electricians turned the power off and i needed that coffee fix.

Painters have plenty to do.

I refreshed all my labels. One even still had a  "rusks" label on it.

I have washed and labeled all my tupperware.

We met the neighbour hood kids.

Here are some watching the rugby league grandfinal.

I have been heading out walking at 5am on weekdays. Such a great suburb. Friendly people everywhere.

Oh and did i mention the HILLS

Stalking garden ideas.

And maybe trying to keep up with the Jones's on this lawn. Check it out!

I have been cooking the tradies mini pizzas.

I won this gorgeous Penny Ball on Let's go Moerkabout blog page (I am calling it my Perfect Penny)
It will be a family treasure i can pass down to future generations.

As it has been school holidays. The boys have been to GC Compound a few times. The best place on earth my boys would say.

Here is James. He just stacked it. Of course i take a pic first before going over to him ;)

It took him a few long minutes before he went back out onto the ramps.

Here is Jack about to head into the foam pit.

And about to land in the pit.

James back at it.

 Boys played their first game of cricket. Jack un13s and James un11s. I have sat for many years when the kids were babies watching Jason play. Oh how FUN that was (wink wink nudge nudge)
he is back playing over 40s and the boys went along with him last year and decided they would play this year.

Jack hit a 4. But it ended up being the only score he made. He enjoyed it immensely.

Here is James bowling. I missed him batting - oops maybe i was on Instagram hehe..

On a more exciting note. I went out and did something i have always wanted to do. I brought wooden coat hangers.
Gee what a difference it makes.
I brought them from Kmart for $6 for 6. I went to the cheap shop they had them for $3 for 4 but they were really crappy.

Before

After

 As all of our things have been in storage for the last 7 months. It is so exciting unpacking things i love.
My mum over the years has made these gorgeous quilts for us all.

This is one of the first ones she made for Gaby

This is another one which has fabric from my mums bedspread when she was a little girl.

One of the boys

Oh and it is BLISS i tell you BLISS that my kids can now catch a school bus. The traffic in and out of the suburb is crazy at school time and i am so happy not to be stuck in it.

OMG.
I have to tell you all this. Just as i had finished this post i was Preview - ing it. I then went back into it and changed a few spelling mistakes and accidentally pressed DELETE.. So after that long time consuming post that i have been waiting to do for the last month. I had to redo it all over again. Thank GOD i didn't go out of my Preview page otherwise i don't think i would've done it all again.

So while i am sitting here about to finish. I have electricians here, i have a guy putting up the glass balustrade, i have a digger in the back and front yard doing footings for fences and a paths, driveway etc...

I hope you all survived my long post. Thanks for reading. I promise i will never leave it that long again...

Pen x