Ben hoists our heavy blackout-lined curtains from Egypt to check the length on our Perth walls
Posts Tagged ‘house’
Ben hoists our heavy blackout-lined curtains from Egypt to check the length on our Perth walls
Tags: house
Ever since our tenth anniversary celebration, Ben and I have been looking forward to living in a house we own, with walls that stand alone - not touching another person's house.
We moved in on Wednesday, and every morning I wake up thinking how blessed we are to be homeowners!
Nikki will turn three in September, while her newest sibling is still a newborn. Realising this early in my pregnancy, I tried to think of a gift that would be engrossing for Nikki and make her feel very special at the same time.
Since March I have been bringing all the elements of a dollhouse together. Baba and I are providing the house (from eBay), the wooden furniture (also from eBay), and the dolls (from Etsy seller nakedpeggies). To make the house a home, generous family members have hand-crafted soft furnishings including bedspreads, rugs, and wall-hangings.
It is so much fun to think that every aspect of this gift was either pre-loved or hand-made just for Nikki. All the wonderful contributors used odds and ends of fabric, yarn, and thread they already had around the house. When everything comes together the dollhouse will have an eclectic, cosy feel far surpassing anything we could have bought off the shelf. Most especially, every item will have a name behind it: the name of someone who loves Nikki very much!
Last night, in a continuation of my nesting phase, Ben and I worked together on some finishing touches to this project. I wrapped the parcels that have come from America. Ben installed small hooks to hang the curtain Audrey sewed to go across the front of the house. I touched up the paint. Ben threaded a cord through Audrey's curtain. I added a fusible interface backing to the wall-hangings Erin and Patrick cross-stitched, and stuck Velcro to them so they can be hung.
Clean, dry, and snug under a large sheet, the dollhouse will soon be ready for its September début!
| before (with furniture for scale) | after |
 |  |
For our tenth wedding anniversary, Ben planned a mini holiday at a surprise location. He kept me guessing right 'til the last minute by packing our passports, but it turned out he had a road trip in mind!
We drove down Australia's beautiful southwest coast to our destination: an amazing seaside mansion near Bunbury. As we basked in our surroundings, I began to contemplate the luxury of living in a home that is not attached to someone else's house. This would be a first in our ten years of marriage and could be a possibility for us if we stay in Australia.
I wonder if Australians realise how fortunate they are in how well their laundry rooms are designed. All the rental properties we viewed when looking for this one included at minimum a tiled floor and large sink, as well as the requisite washer and dryer hookups.
- large, very deep sink for rinsing, soaking, and hand-washing
- cabinet above the sink - keeping all the chemicals well out of children's sight and reach
- cabinet below the sink - I am still thinking about how to best utilise this space, but right now it has a stack of rags so Nikki can easily help me clean up any spills
- sliding glass door with secure locking screen door
- odours from cloth diapers can escape without compromising the security of our house. With the laundry room door closed, we ensure that any air conditioning or heating in the rest of the house isn't lost.
- easy access to an outside clothes line - if we had one!
- just enough room for a clothes drying rack and laundry baskets
Tags: house
When we were first taken to see the house that we are renting, the information sheet listed 'view' as one of the amenities. We were a little unsure as to what that meant.
Over time living here, however, we have come to value the vista to the east. Below, a photo I took through the picture window in our upstairs seating area.
Tags: house
Mama and Baba finally got all the boxes cleared out of the playroom!
Time to play! Pull out a basket, throw a ball, and then crawl after it!
Tags: house
Ben and I have lived in a number of rental properties - this is our tenth, if you count temporary accommodation. Let's face it, we're practically nomads! But a bonus coming out of living in so many houses is that we know a good place to live when we see one.
The townhouse we are living in has some terrific less-than-obvious features that make everyday living that little bit easier.
Pictured above, the built-in rubbish bin under the sink.
Why I like the Kimberley Twin Bin Waste Separation System:
- the bin slides in and out rather than drifting around under the sink, thus taking up the smallest possible space
- automatic lid since the bin slides under a plastic cover
- the plastic cover allows me to stack cleaning supplies on top, providing even more space under the sink
- the bin is just the right size to be lined with an ordinary plastic grocery bag
- we don't have to buy purpose-made rubbish bags
- after a few days when the bag fills up, it is easy to carry down the stairs to the curbside rubbish bin
- there are two slots in this unit. You can see that the first slot is filled with our rubbish bin. The second slot is empty, but if we can find the correct size plastic bucket to fit in the second slot, it will be perfect for all of our recyclable material
Tags: house
When we were house-hunting in Maadi, we were counseled to try to find a ground floor flat. Elevators and electricity can be dodgy here and how would I get a baby and a pram and groceries up multiple flights of stairs? I fell in love with this penthouse apartment and decided that it would work out somehow.
Fortunately, the electricity and elevator in our building are both very reliable, so living on the fifth floor hasn't been an issue. On the few occasions when I cannot take the lift, I simply walk five flights. This is easy for me since I don't use a pushchair (we have an umbrella stroller that hasn't left its box) and my groceries are delivered.
If there ever was any inconvenience in skyline living, the sunset views from our terrace more than compensate.
Tags: house, life in Egypt
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- happy Father’s Day!
- kiddo quotes
- city to surf
- band in a box
- month in review and September goals
- mourning
- kiddo quotes
- we’ll miss you, Grandpa
- Vi’s birthday breakfast
- celebrating Vi
- Aileen: Simply beautiful - I have never heard this song before but it is so touchingly beautiful, all the more so at the image of Ben with two of his children
- Poppa & Grammie: Happy Father's Day to you, Ben. So grateful that you are following your heavenly Father's leading in love with your children!
- Jen: Happy Father's Day, Ben! The video is great and you are amazing for multi-tasking so well!
